Aviary
by silverfootsteps
Summary: "Magic and love woven together creates the most peculiar tapestry." Fantasy, monsters, and romance. A collection of oneshots. Includes stories previously posted on tumblr. Sakuracentric. Mostly Itasaku.
1. Fishing (1 of 2)

**title** Fishing (1/2)  
**summary** _Seashell bras are so impractical. Whose idea was this?_  
**pairing** sasusaku

* * *

The sea was the color of gunmetal. The choppy waves bashed against the shore.

"Shit. I'm not going out in that."

"Me either. Pass me another beer?"

Someone dug into the cooler. Water dripped off the sides of the can as it changed hands.

"Only a crazy person would go in when it's like this."

As the words left his mouth, someone ran past them. Arms pumping at her sides. Wind whipping her hair around as she sprinted to the edge of the cliff.

"HEY! LADY! STOP!"

She dove. Slicing a clean arc through the air. Eyes squeezing shut as she plunged into the water.

"Fuck! Should I call an ambulance?"

"No! Wait! I think I see her."

They peeked over the edge of the cliff. Just in time to see her head break the surface of the water. She bobbed in the waves, rocked back and forth. Before they could call out to her, she waved her hand at them. And then she slipped beneath the surface. A strange glimmer flickering in the water for just a few seconds.

"Was that...?"

"...Gimme another beer."

* * *

The water here was green. It was murky, too. Sakura stretched her arms out in front of her. They were just white blurs. She paused, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She looked up at the surface. Despite the grey day, light still filtered down from the surface.

She could feel it when her eyeballs finally shifted. The corneas stretching and flattening. The structures inside moving into the right places. She touched the side of her neck. Ran her thumbs along the folds of her gills. When she opened her mouth, bubbles flooded up in a stream to the surface.

She opened her eyes again and she could see.

With one powerful flex of her tail, she continued her way down.

It was too quiet as she descended. Even as it grew darker and colder, not a single flash of scales greeted her. Only when she glimpsed the dark slash in the coral did someone come out to greet her.

"Welcome back!" one of the patrols greeted her, lifting his spear. She smiled in return. Slipping through the tangles of kelp, she made her way down. Into the gaping wound in the seabed. As she twisted through the darkness, up ahead, she could see the walls beginning to glow. Bioluminescent plankton scuttling around twinkled as she approached. She knew better than to touch them. They bit.

Soon, the tunnel began to turn upwards. She eased herself up the path, pushing off the stone with her hands.

The path widened into a huge cavern. More glowing plankton lined the walls here. But there were also luminous blue plants growing into the stone.

"Hey! Look who's back!" someone called out.

"Welcome home!"

Sakura smiled. Briefly clasping hands with people as they passed her. She made her way through the cave. Weaving around the coral structures and the shelters built from stone and tied together with lengths of living kelp.  
She slipped into one of the buildings. The one with strings of pearls draped along the entrance. There was even a curtain fashioned from an old fisherman's net.

"Welcome home, dear," Tsunade said, floating from her bed to greet her. They clasped each other's forearms.

"I'm just here for the night, Grandmother," Sakura said before Tsunade could ask. The other woman's smile dimmed. She let out a sigh that bubbled out of her. In this isolated place, it was impossible to tell what was day and what was night. It was the return of the patrol changing shifts that let everyone know that the sun had set.

Others poured into the hut, eyes bright with excitement. They chatted for a long time. They peppered Sakura with questions about the surface. Giddy with excitement as she told them of the big metal vehicles humans used to move their dry, finless bodies. But eventually, Tsunade chased them out, shooing them back to their own homes.

"I get to see my beloved granddaughter maybe once a year and they hog all your time," grumbled Tsunade. And Sakura laughed, hugging her grandmother close to her heart.

Voices lowered as others began to settle in for the night. The insides of their huts dimming as they covered their lights. Some of them used glass bowls filled with more glowing plankton. Others kept special squid, whose speckled bodies shimmered light purple. They used whatever they could scavenge from the seabed. Old lobster traps. Discarded glass bottles.

Tsunade draped a length of cloth over the light. And as the inside of her home darkened, she took Sakura's hand.

"You could stay a little longer. I know that the children have missed you," Tsunade reminded her. And Sakura lifted her smooth hand to her cheek. Pressing it close.

"I know, Grandmother. But I'm going back," she replied, like always.

They slept, hands joined. And when the patrols changed shifts again, Sakura slipped out with them.

"Say, have you been to the North Sea lately, Sakura? Have you talked to Yoko?" one of them asked her as they navigated the glowing tunnels. Sakura glanced over at him. He pointedly avoided her eyes, but it was written all over his face.

She smiled. She grasped one of her silvery-blue scales and plucked it out. Ignoring the sting, she pressed it into his palm.

"Hold this under your tongue when you sleep tonight. You will be able to visit her in your dreams," Sakura promised him. He beamed at her, eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Thank you."

Once they exited the tunnel, Sakura stretched her arms. She stared at the crevice leading to the sequestered little village. Stretching her hands out in front of her, she weaved her hands through the water. Until slowly, a faint glimmer of lacy filaments seeped from her fingertips. She spread it across the mouth of the opening. It glittered as it settled over the black rock, settling into the craggy surface. And then it disappeared.

She tilted her head back, staring up at the faint glimmer of the surface. The rays of light were beginning to cut through. The sun had already risen.

"Do you need us to see you off?" one of the patrols offered. But Sakura only grasped his forearm, shaking her head. They touched foreheads for a brief moment before she swam off.

A school of silver fish danced around her on her way up. They weaved around like one big organism. And when her fins moved a little too close, they dashed off. Light glinting off their scales in a dizzying display.

She paused to search the surface. Unbroken waves ebbing and flowing without ceasing. After a while, she saw a shadow bobbing up and down. She adjusted her course, powerful strokes of her tail pulling her higher and higher.

Sakura's head broke the surface of the water a while later. She gulped down a deep breath, and then another. Waiting for her lungs to adjust to the oxygen rushing in. The cool air stung the inside of her chest. Her lenses of her eyes shifted too, trying to take in all the sunlight at once.

"Need a hand?"

Sakura didn't even look at him as she lifted her arms out of the water.

His hands were warm. He hauled her over the side of the boat. Laying her gently on the deck. He crouched beside her, cheek in his hand.

The gills on the sides of her throat fused shut. She coughed up the salt water that lingered in her lungs. And she lay there, forehead pressed to the deck as she waited for her head to stop spinning.

"You're early. I thought you would have stayed longer," remarked Sasuke. Sakura looked at him. Just in time for him to witness her irises and pupils shrink until he could see the whites again. She blinked a few times. Vision blurring and then unblurring.

Finally, she could see Sasuke smiling down at her. His sunglasses perched on top of his head. He stepped away for a moment. She raised herself on her elbows, still trying to catch her breath. When he returned, it was to wrap her in a big towel. He lifted her up in his arms.

"Breakfast isn't ready yet. You want some coffee?" he asked. Sakura nodded her head, laying it on his chest. The gentle sway of the boat rocking them both as he walked.

At first, she had laughed when he had bought the houseboat. It was a big, lumbering thing. It took forever to make turns, and parking it in any dock also took forever. She had once called it a floating microwave, and Sasuke had sulked for a full day.

But, as Sasuke carried her inside, she had to admit that it was rather nice. Home being so close to the space beneath the waves.

The inside of the house was filled with the fragrance of coffee. He seated her on the counter before he poured her a hot cup. Left it by her hand to cool.

"You could have stayed longer, you know," Sasuke said again. Sakura watched him turn on the electric stove. He unhooked a frying pan from the copper rack above.

"Why? So you could meet with your secret mistress?" asked Sakura. The look of disgust he turned to give her was absolutely perfect. She beamed at him.

"I said hi to my grandmother and I renewed the privacy charms protecting the village. I did both the things I wanted to do," she then replied to his earlier comments. And even with his back turned to her, she knew that the space between his eyebrows was wrinkling. He cracked eggs into the hot pan. She listened to the whites sizzle and pop against the cast iron.

"You don't miss them?"

She looked at his back. He scraped hard with the spatula. Making too much noise as he flipped the eggs. He cursed when one of the yolks popped.

"I do. But I sort of don't," she replied. She picked up the coffee. Blew on it before she took the first sip. Sasuke straightened to take two plates out of the cabinet. Set them on the counter to plate the eggs. She knew he would serve himself the egg that had exploded already.

The toast popped up. They both jolted a little.

"I was born with this mark," Sakura said, tapping the little diamond on her forehead. "They knew I was a sea witch before I even sang my first song. I always knew I would leave the village." As she spoke, Sakura buttered both slices of toast. Dropped one onto his plate.

Sasuke looked away.

"That's not what I meant," he mumbled. She froze, toast halfway to her mouth. She studied his face for a while. Took a bite.

"Ah. The other thing?" she asked instead. And Sasuke nodded.

She shrugged. "It can't be helped. That's just the way we were born." Sasuke nibbled on his toast with little enthusiasm.

"And are you sure that-"

"Yes, I'm still happy, Sasuke," Sakura answered his question before he could finish it. She eyed his expression again. Heaved a sigh. Sakura leaned over to kiss his forehead.

"My little pond hopper."

He wrinkled his nose. Pulling away, he crunched his teeth through his toast.

"Don't call me that," he sulked. Sakura kissed his forehead again. She popped the yolk with the corner of her bread. Mopping up the gold that dribbled across the plate.


	2. Fishing (2 of 2)

**title** Fishing (2/2)  
**summary** _What do you mean that's my reflection? I'll kick his ass too._  
**pairing** sasusaku

* * *

The waters warmed as they continued to travel up the coast. Sasuke steered with one hand, the other always curled around his thermos. The coffee fumes bathing his face and neck.

"I think that's why you have such great skin," Sakura confessed one night. He turned his head to give her the world's flattest stare. Without saying a thing, he rolled onto his other side.

She pressed her cheek to his shoulder blade.

"Hey."

No response.

"_Heeeey_," she whined, nudging harder.

"I'm going to sleep," he declared.

"No. Pay attention to me!" she continued to wheedle him. Poking and prodding. Calling his name in strange voices until he finally rolled over again.

"What."

Sakura gave him her sweetest smile. She pecked him on the nose before she said: "I love you."

Sasuke mumbled something under his breath that sounded like _annoying_ as he wrapped his arm around her. Pulling her close to his chest. The ocean rocking the boat back and forth like a cradle.

* * *

They hugged the coast. Sasuke raised his thermos in greeting as they passed other mariners. Sometimes Sakura stood with him. Other times, she sat at the stern, her feet stuck in the water. And if she willed it, she let just her ankles and feet phase. Let the bones lengthen and the scales rise to the surface.

At times, the water grew a little choppy. Sneaking peeks to make sure that no one was watching, Sakura dipped her hand into the water. Muttering ancient words as she twisted her hand around. A faint golden glow pulsed through the waves. And whatever storm had been brewing on the horizon calmed itself.

And inevitably, no matter how careful she was, Sasuke came out to yell at her about her indiscretion.

("Someone's going to notice, you moron!"

"No one is going to notice. Humans are about as observant as a bunch of polyps," she snorted in return.)

And then she would placate him with some half-hearted apologies and several more kisses.

When they entered a familiar bay, Sakura slipped straight off the back of the boat. Sinking feet first into the sun-warmed waters. She surfaced just to throw her clothes onto the deck. Dove down again.

Felt her blood rush down to her legs. The scales rising to the surface of her skin. Shimmering and blue as they grew to coat her calves and thighs. Her ankle bones stretched and twisted until they were powerful enough to propel her through the water. The sides of her neck stung as her gills opened up. She opened her mouth to push the saltwater across them. Sighed when the oxygen filled her lungs.

She flipped once before she swam straight downwards. Down, down, towards the seabed. Where bright fingers of coral grew up from the black, porous rock.

Sakura ran her fingers through the fine sand. Poked a few curious fish who swam up to her. And then she trailed her fingers over the rough volcanic rock. Bubbles cascading upwards from her open mouth. After a while, she realized that the black shadow of the boat above wasn't moving anymore. And as she watched, the anchor sunk down, coming rest in the crevices between the bigger rocks.

Sakura squinted. She could see his silhouette shimmering above. With a few powerful kicks, she rose back up to the surface.

"You scared the shit out of me! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that, Sakura?" admonished Sasuke, crouching on the lower deck. He wore just joggers and a pair of flip-flops. And when Sakura sunk the lower half of her face into the water to blow bubbles at him, he lowered his sunglasses to give her a look.

"Very mature," he snorted.

Scowling, Sakura sealed her gill flaps so that she could speak. "I forgot. And don't talk to me like I'm a kid." And before Sasuke could respond, she opened up her gills again and dove backwards into the water. Making sure to slap the surface with her tail, spraying him.

She circled the boat a few times. Her sides skimming against the white fiberglass. And when she surfaced again, Sasuke was still crouching there, raking his wet hair out of his eyes. He lifted his sunglasses and perched them on top of his head. Setting his thermos down, he rolled his pants up. Stuck his feet into the water. And when she stopped circling, he held his arms out to her.

"Okay. I'm sorry. Can you just come here?" Sasuke sighed.

Still glowering, Sakura slowly drifted over to him. She stopped just out of arm's reach.

"Sakura."

Her eyes narrowed. He sighed again.

"Sorry. Sakura. Come on."

She inched closer and closer. And finally, she grasped the edge of the deck and lifted herself up on her elbows. His eyes going all soft and sad. And she gazed back at him for all of five seconds before she nipped the tip of his nose.

"I want to enjoy the water while I can. You can go on without me and I'll catch up," she announced, pushing off the boat. Floating off in the water with a splash.

Sasuke stood up. Cupped his hands around his mouth.

"You asshole. Why would I go on without you?" he yelled at her. And Sakura twisted, around to flash him a brilliant smile. The sunlight reflected off the water and the iridescent patches that dappled her shoulders.

She said nothing else as she dove back down under the surface.

The brackish water in the bay took a little getting used to. The density was much different from the cold ocean water. It tasted different. Even the light refracted in it in alien ways.

As the sun began to set, she saw patches of light flowing down from the surface. And knew that Sasuke had turned the lights on inside the boat. She lifted her head out of the water to find him sitting at the stern again, his bare feet dangling in the water. The pink and gold sky made his eyes glow as he caught sight of her.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

She nodded. Sealed her gills when she saw something in his expression.

"What's wrong?" she queried. Reached out to him. Met his fingers, tangling in the surface of the water. And then Sakura sighed. She finally understood his expression. She shook her head.

"Just a couple more days. Be patient, Sasuke," Sakura said.

And he looked so alone. Even when she pulled him down for a kiss. Those beautiful, long eyelashes sweeping across the top of his cheekbone.

"Just a little longer."

She kissed his chin before she slipped back under.

The bedroom sat at the bottom of the boat. The queen-sized bed was too big for the small cabin. So it was crammed into the corner. Barely squeezed in next to her desk covered in books and unwashed coffee mugs. Sasuke lay alone on it that night, his arm draped over her pillow in her absence. And Sakura swam past the porthole several times, silvery-blue scales glinting as she smiled in at him. Luminescent jellyfish and squid drifting after her like a procession of nightlights.

In the morning, he jolted awake when Sakura rapped her knuckles against the porthole. She waved at him and then pointed upwards.

Pulling on a t-shirt, Sasuke stumbled up the stairs. Out onto the stern. And Sakura heaved her body aboard. Her shimmering tail still half-submerged in the water. Sakura dropped several pieces of sea glass onto the floor. Sasuke squinted around, a little blinded by the all the sunlight. He looked down just in time to see Sakura's gills sealing up, leaving just the faintest marks on the sides of her throat.

Sakura wrung the water from her hair, panting just a little.

"Did you know... that there's a really small pod of merpeople living here?" she told him between gasps. Sasuke walked away. Returned several seconds later with a fluffy towel. He plopped down onto the floor with her, not minding the water soaking the back of his pants. He rubbed the towel over her hair before he wrapped it around her bare chest and torso.

"A pod? How many?" he asked. Her muffled answer was lost in the towel. She peeled it away from her mouth.

"Five. There's a little cave towards that end of the bay," Sakura told him, pointing.

And then he noticed a few drops of blood. And then a gap where one of her gleaming scales was missing. Sasuke stopped drying her hair, glaring.

"Sakura."

"I had to!" she insisted. "Humans love to snorkel around here. They would have been discovered some day." Sasuke's shoulders sagged.

"Couldn't you just do what you do for your family? Cast a spell every year or whatever?" he suggested.

"That's a a really old seal and it keeps wearing down. That's why I have to renew it. Blood magic is permanent. I won't need to come back to fix anything." And as Sakura explained, Sasuke's hand stroked the area around the missing scale. His lower lip jutting out.

"It'll grow back," she reminded him. And as they both watched, her scales receded. Reabsorbing back into her bloodstream. Leaving just her white legs. A tiny, scabbing wound marking her right thigh.

"But it hurts now, you idiot," muttered Sasuke, kissing her temple. He got to his feet, muttering complaints about her under his breath. Sakura turned to admire him. Especially the jut of his hip bones over his waistband as he twisted to scan the horizon. He caught her staring. Scowled.

"Stupid sea witch," he scoffed.

Sakura blew him a kiss.

"Love you too."

* * *

The boat continued up the bay, into the mouth of a big river. Sakura spent most of her time off the boat. Occasionally dumping her treasure on the back of the boat. An odd variety of stones, dead coral, and glass rubbed smooth by the currents and sand.

She twisted along the grainy bottom of the bay. And when that transitioned into stones, she felt the composition of the water shifting. The amount of salt decreased as they left the bay. She could taste it each time she gulped down a breath.

Eventually, she knew it was time for her to leave the water. She climbed back onto the stern. Letting her toes shift back as the water ran clear. She stared, marveling at how something could look the same, but be so different. After a while, she went to join Sasuke. Snuggling under his arm as he steered the boat along.

They continued up the river for a long while. Following the bends and forks until they reached a wide spot in the river. The currents here were much calmer. And when Sakura squinted upstream to investigate, she could see why. Several trees had fallen, slowing the flow of the water to a sluggish crawl.

Before she could call out to Sasuke, she spotted him on the stern. Already struggling out of his clothes. Throwing his shirt and pants aside. He dove headfirst into the water. Cutting a clean angle. Bubbles exploding underwater upon impact.

Sakura took her time walking to the stern. She stooped to pick up his discarded clothes. Folded his shirt and then his pants and left them on the sun-warmed bench. Water splashed onto her feet. And when she looked, there he was.

Swimming in slow circles as his gill folds opened up. His long, crimson fins trailed out behind him. Almost like a flowing veil chasing him with every movement. She admired the way those fins rippled like they were made of liquid too. And when he turned to look at her, a smirk pulled at his mouth.

Sasuke's head broke the surface of the water. He dragged his hand through his sopping hair. The red and black scales scattered down his forearm glittered.

"Having fun, pond hopper?" she asked, leaning on the railing.

He laughed. White teeth gleaming as he raked his arm through the water. Splashing the tops of her feet.

"Don't call me that," he called back. He dove backwards into the water. Crimson tail flicking under after him.


	3. Nesting (1 of 2)

**title** Nesting (1/2)  
**summary** Tall, dark, and scaly handsome_  
_**pairing** itasaku

* * *

The ground rumbled. Dark clouds filled the sky, lightning punctuating the heavens.

"Now that I've gathered all Five Blood Runes, my plan is complete!"

Another deep noise thundered up and down the valley. The dry soil cracked. Magma began seeping up through the earth's open wound. Hissing and sparking as it consumed the grass and the flowers.

"Rise, Ancient One! Rise and do my bidding!"

As the man's shrill laughter rang out, the cracks in the earth began to widen. The soil became a fragile mosaic, shattering and sinking. The earth shook even harder now. Nearby buildings began to collapse atop one another.

And a demonic roar exploded from beneath the ground. Cleaving the heavens.

From the spewing lava came a black claw. It slammed into the ground, pointed talons crushing the stone into fine dust. With another mighty roar, a second claw emerged. The lava flowed off the black scales like water down the back of a duck.

"Human," a voice grumbled. It sounded like a thousand rocks tumbling against each other. From the steam, two crimson eyes gleamed. The irises flecked with black, slitted pupils narrowing as they found their target.

"You dare to summon the Terrible Fell Dragon?" it demanded.

"Yes! I've bound you with my summons! Now go forth and co-"

With one sweep of its claw, the dragon crushed the summoner into a hot pulp of blood and bones. He huffed, steam hissing from his nostrils.

"Pathetic. As if such weak magic will hold me," he scoffed.

He forced his muscular body through the ground. The cracks growing and spreading. He shook the lava from his body. And as his scales cooled, they turned black. As glossy and dark as obsidian. He flexed the muscles in his back, unfurling his leathery wings.

"It's been such a long time since I've woken. Time to see what's worth destroying this time around," he sighed. With a powerful sweep of his wings, he took off. Fire spraying from his great jaws. Incinerating the sides of the valley. Just to watch it all burn and turn black.

* * *

Kakashi ran his finger down the board.

"Hm... we could defeat some mythical monster in the forest?" he read out loud.

Naruto made a face. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Last time we did that, the 'beast' ended up being a pregnant boar," Naruto complained. Kakashi rolled his visible eye. He turned back to the board.

"We could escort a merchant party?"

"Pass. I still get nightmares about the time that Sakura almost threw me off that insane rope bridge," Sai piped up. Naruto smirked.

"Only because you asked her if it was her time of the month. I still kind of wish she had," he retorted.

"Naruto," Kakashi warned.

"Yeah, I get it. I'll be nice," Naruto grumbled, closing his eyes.

"Oh. This one looks easy. Deliver a package to the Citadel. Shouldn't take more than a week's time," Kakashi suggested. His eye gleamed as he read the offered reward amount.

"No way," Sakura declared. She set the tankards down on the table, sloshing a little onto her hand. She wiped it off on the edge of her skirt.

"Have you seen the reward for that? It's definitely something suspicious. Think a little, Kakashi," she scolded. Kakashi's drank from one of the tankards. Foam clinging to his upper lip when he lowered it. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. Kakashi rested his cheek in his hand, slumping.

"Fine. I guess we'll all starve to death," he sulked. Naruto and Sakura grimaced together.

"Ew. Old man, stop trying to be cute," Naruto grumbled.

"Yeah. Literally no one feels bad for you right now," Sakura added.

"Have you heard? About the smoke coming from the west?" they overheard a man at another table say. Sai leaned in a little closer, straining to listen.

"Rumors of a huge dragon rampaging," the man went on.

Sakura leaned against Sai's shoulder, listening too. They exchanged looks.

"I heard someone say it might even be the Fell Dragon Itachi."

"I thought he was sealed away ages ago! What kind of fool would awaken him?"

Sai and Sakura turned to look at Kakashi, grinning from ear to ear.

"How much do you think the King would reward us for a dead dragon, Kakashi?" Sakura asked. Kakashi rubbed his chin.

"We don't have enough health potions," he muttered.

"Then it's decided. We'll stock up on supplies and then head west!" Naruto announced, clapping his hands together once. Sakura and Sai bumped elbows and then fists.

"Excellent!" Sai declared, rubbing his hands together.

"Imagine how much food that would buy," sighed Naruto. Face suddenly dreamy.

Sakura cracked her neck.

"Maybe I can afford to sleep at an inn far away from you idiots," she grumbled.

So they gathered supplies. Sai using all his charm to woo the merchant's wife into giving them a discount. Bags laden with healing herbs and dried food, they mounted their horses. The map spread out in front of Kakashi. As they made their way down the road, Naruto made a face. Crossing his arms behind his head.

"I feel like... there's something we're forgetting," he said. Sai tilted his head as he thought. Kakashi scratched his chin.

"Ah. We forgot to pay the innkeeper," Sakura realized.

"Shit. Let's get going before he wakes up," Naruto hissed. They urged their horses on faster. Laughing into the night about the gaff.

By the time their party arrived in the valley, it was already burnt to a crisp. The nearby villages and towns were still smoldering. The cinders of collapsed homes still glowing red on the inside. Most of the surviving villagers had already fled. And the remaining ones could say little about the whereabouts of the monster who had destroyed their homes.

Still, Kakashi did some snooping. In the middle of the night, he returned to the camp, stinking of mead. He had found out that there were reports of similar destruction sweeping up through the mountains. They set out in a hurry. Naruto still half-sleeping on his mount. He had dressed in the dark and his cape was on backwards. Sakura attempted to tie her hair as her horse jostled around the rocky ground. She gave up after three failed attempts.

When they reached the sleepy mountain town three days later, it was the same story. Smoldering ruins and the smell of burnt livestock everywhere.

This time, before they could ask too many questions, a roar shattered the skies. Crows exploded out of the nearby trees, taking off in a panic.

Sakura grinned.

"I smell trouble," she remarked. Snapping her reins, she urged her horse on.

"Hold on! Sakura! Wait for us!" Naruto screamed as he went after her.

The horses took them deeper into the mountains. The trees flaming like huge sticks of incense. Their blackened trunks sizzling and popping. When they fell, showers of sparks erupted into the air. The smoke that clogged the forests was dense and nearly black. Naruto raised his cowl to cover his mouth and nose. Eyes watering, he followed Sakura's voice, barely able to see.

Towards the peak of the mountain, he could see her atop her horse. Rushing forward.

With a terrible screech, the massive dragon rose through the smoke. Flames ripping up his throat. Filling the air with unbearable heat. Naruto's horse whinnied, shying away.

"Use your magic, you dunce!" he heard Sakura yell, pausing to glance over her shoulder. She waved her axe at him before she continued running into the flames.

Naruto smacked his palm against his forehead. He muttered a few words. Summoned a pocket of cool air to envelop both him and the horse. And when Kakashi and Sai caught up, he extended the shield around them too.

They picked their way up the side of the mountain. Squinting through the blurring barrier and the smoke. They passed Sakura's horse, which fled downhill. Away from all the fire and chaos.

Finally, when they reached the peak, they found Sakura standing there. Her axe touching the ground. She gaped up at the huge creature. At the flames that flickered underneath the scales as the fire burst up from his throat.

"Sakura! Get behind the barrier!" Sai shouted, hands cupped around his mouth.

Sakura's eyes sparkled as she turned to look at her party. She grinned.

"Isn't this great?" she yelled.

"HUH?" the three men said in return.

Sakura advanced.

It took a while, but the dragon finally seemed to notice the tiny human approaching. A laugh thundered out of him, shaking the mountainside. He lowered his scaly head to stare down at her. Crimson eyes gleaming. Sharp, branch-like horns extended from his temples.

"What's this?" he boomed. Sakura stopped. Handle of the axe over her shoulder. She stared up at his massive body. At the tail that whipped around, slicing through the tops of the flaming trees.

"Is this the best warrior humanity sends after me? This insignificant boy to slay the Terrible Fell Dragon?" he continued to laugh.

Sakura's cheeks colored. She fumbled with her chest plate. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud. And then she ripped her helmet off. Throwing it somewhere into the darkness.

"I'm a woman!" she screamed in return.

The dragon laughed harder. The ground trembling with the force of it all.

"No matter. If you wish to die so badly, so be it," he growled.

He opened his jaws. Pointed teeth gleaming with saliva. The back of his throat glowed. And then flames exploded from his mouth, engulfing Sakura.

"Perish!" he laughed.

The spot where Sakura had stood filled with smoke. But as the winds carried it away, it revealed Sakura still there, quite unharmed. Save for the fact that the leather bits of her armor had burned away. Clicking her tongue, she glanced down at herself.

"I had that custom made in the Citadel," she grumbled.

The dragon's eyes narrowed into slits.

"All that sleep must have made you dull, Fell Dragon," scoffed Sakura.

She hunched over, crossing her wrists. The skin over her shoulder blades split. Instead of blood, red light spilled out, engulfing her body. And the light expanded into a swirling ball of heat. It exploded outwards, rocking the edges of Naruto's barrier.

The dragon swung a leathery wing over itself to block the worst of the blast. He squinted out through the bright light. It slowly dissipated.

Sakura bared her teeth. Shaking her head from side to side. Her scales were smooth, shimmering red with hints of iridescence. Her black horns spiraled back from her temples, like those on a ram. When she opened her eyes, they were gold, flaked with green and blue, like some kind of alien gem.

"You can't even smell one of your own kind," she sneered.

In this form, she was still smaller than him. He towered over her. But the terrible Fell Dragon seemed frozen. He slowly lowered his wing. Gaping at her.

Sakura stretched out her body. Her black underbelly glittering by the light of the burning mountainside.

"Kick his ass, Sakura!" Naruto cheered. Sakura glanced back at him.

"Sure," she replied.

And then she opened her maw. A screech resonated up her throat. Shaking the trees and echoing through the mountain range. She threw herself at the Fell Dragon, her jaws snapping at his throat.

To her surprise, he didn't dodge. He fell under her weight. Crushing the stone face of the mountain. The debris sliding down the incline in a great shower of dust and rock. Naruto's barrier barely held together and she could hear him swear.

Sakura pinned the Fell Dragon down. Her teeth dripping. Black claws digging into his flesh. And when he opened his eyes, they gleamed.

"Finally. I've found you," he said.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" she growled.

"The one worthy of being my mate," the Fell Dragon declared.

Sakura sat back on her haunches. A laugh exploded from her mouth. Reverberating up and down the mountains. Swelling like great waves that bent the trees.

"You? A mindless beast that wanders the lands like a mad dog?" she mocked.

With a little concentration, she phased back into her human shape. Her skin still steaming lightly as it adjusted to the temperature change. She fluffed her hair, like she was oblivious to the fact that she was completely naked. She stood on the belly of the dragon, one hand on her hip. And he had to bend his neck to look down at her in this tiny form.

"Look, I _like_ humans. I think that they're funny little apes," she said, pointing.

"We like you too, Sakura!" Sai called.

"Don't look!" Naruto shouted. She could hear the blond cleric grappling with the mage. Probably trying to cover Sai's eyes.

"Anyway, your whole thing of razing their villages really isn't my thing," she went on. And then she scowled.

"By the way, can you even shift into a human form?" Sakura demanded.

"Uh... no," he confessed. Sakura made a face.

"Ugh, you're at least... three hundred years old and you can't even manage that?" she asked, counting the rings on his horns.

And it almost looked like the black dragon was blushing.

"I-I can learn!"

"Whatever. I've gotten better offers from nests from the south," Sakura snorted. And then she cast a disdainful look over him. From head to clawed toe. "_Much_ better offers." She hopped off of him. She stooped to retrieve her axe. Her melted armor wasn't worth salvaging.

"Kakashi, lemme borrow your cloak," she called.

"Ah, yeah. Hold on," the thief replied.

"Wait!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder at him.

"What?" she retorted.

The dragon had his head low to the ground. Steam hissing from his nostrils as he stared at Sakura.

"Where are you going?" he grumbled.

"Yeah! Where _are_ you going?" Sai asked, his voice a little muffled through the barrier. Sakura swung her head around to look at her party. Naruto barely looked at her, fingers over his eyes. She lifted her arm to point at the dragon.

"This guy isn't even worth slaying. He's annoying," she scoffed.

"But Sakura. All the gold," protested Kakashi. Naruto nodding furiously beside him.

"Fine. I'll pillage a bandit hideout or something next week. Happy?" she offered.

Usually, all it took in her dragon form was to roar and throw around a few people before bandits gave up all their gold. They weren't known to be particularly strong in the face of a fire-breathing beast.

Kakashi sighed.

"Yeah, I guess," he conceded.

Naruto lowered his hands. His barrier dissolving all around them. Kakashi slid off his mount. He stepped over to Sakura to drape his tattered cloak over her. Sai reached over to offer his hand to her. Sakura grasped his forearm, letting him haul her up onto his saddle.

"Man, I'm hungry," announced Naruto as they began their way back down the mountain.

"Yeah, from all the shrieking in terror that you did," Sai retorted.

"It might take a while to find an inn that hasn't been burned down," Kakashi warned.

"Or one that we haven't forgotten to pay for," chimed in Sakura.

"Uh... Sakura?" Naruto said.

"Yeah?"

"He's following us."

The party looked over their shoulders. And indeed the black dragon was walking down the side of the mountain with them. On all fours. His red eyes focused just on Sakura. She clicked her tongue.

"I am not paying for a room for that," muttered Kakashi.

Their party traveled the countryside mostly on horseback. They never recovered Sakura's horse, so they stopped in a town to buy another one. Along with several sets of clothes for Sakura. She noted this in a loud voice, directing glares at the dragon who still followed alongside them. And it almost seemed like that scaly face was filled with regret.

When they built the campfire at night, the Fell Dragon Itachi curled his immense body around them. His tail resting against his forelimbs to create a sort of barrier. The first time he had done it, Naruto had gone into a silent panic. Clinging to Sakura's arm and shaking it. Whispering that the dragon was trapping them to eat them in the night. Sighing, Sakura walked up to the end of his tail and gave it a few good slaps. One of his eyes cracked open. And he said nothing as he flicked it aside to let her pass through.

"He's trying to show me that he would be good at protecting a clutch. That's how we sleep in our nests to protect our eggs," explained Sakura into Naruto's ear. He waggled his eyebrows.

"Is it working?" he whispered in return. Sakura shoved him.

In the morning, the huge dragon stirred. The rumbles his movements caused rousing the entire party. And with a great flap of his wings, he took to the air. Within about half an hour, he returned with a moose or even a bear limp in his jaws. Depositing the carcass at Sakura's feet, he offered her a bloody smile.

"Let me guess. Trying to prove that he's a good hunter?" Kakashi asked. Sakura nodded.

"Is it working?" Naruto nagged. He dodged Sakura's first shove, but not the second. It sent him sprawling ass over teakettle. He laughed as he sat back up.

As the fall turned to winter, the party began looking for caves to find shelter in at night. They traveled the mountain passes, camping in the natural depressions in the stone. And Naruto frequently announced his contentment at the warmth radiating from the Fell Dragon's huge body. If the temperature dropped too much at night, Itachi took to releasing a great, steaming breath that melted the worst of the nearby frost. Naruto pointed all of this out, elbowing Sakura until she threatened to break the offending arm.

Itachi even accompanied them on their quests. From the great battles to the small errands when they were low on gold. He never interfered, often settling a good distance away, pretending to sleep. Cracking one eye every once in a while to check on the situation. Feigning disinterest when they returned with their bags heavy with gold.

The only time the dragon opened his eyes was when Sakura's screech pierced the heavens. And then he crept up on all four legs. The spines on his shoulders and back standing up as he watched her transform. Fire spilling from her jaws as she roasted their enemies to a crisp. Steam puffing from his nostrils as he watched her spiked tail smash through obstacles.

"Do dragons get erections?" Sai wondered out loud one day.

Unfortunately, Sai hadn't known Sakura for as long. And he never managed to dodge her punches like Naruto did.

One night, after Sai and Naruto had fallen asleep at the fire, and Kakashi had gone to gather more firewood, Sakura wandered over to the dragon. He rested his snout on one of his claws. Just his eyes following her. She sat in front of him, crossing her legs.

"How long are you going to follow us?" she queried.

He blinked. And then his voice rumbled out, surprisingly soft. "Am I hindering you?"

Sakura twisted her lips to one side. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I suppose not. But this has to be boring for you," she answered.

"I've spent the last 200 hundred years sealed underground. This isn't a bad change of pace," he replied.

"What about your home nest?" asked Sakura.

Itachi closed his eyes.

"Dead," he simply said. And then, he queried, "Yours?"

"Mine too. Most of my brothers and sisters were devoured by a pack of wyverns before they could hatch," Sakura stated.

His eyes opened.

"That is unfortunate," he mused.

"Yes."

Kakashi returned with the firewood a good while later. And while he could see Naruto and Sai drooling and snoring, he couldn't see Sakura. It was only after some searching that he realized that she was slumbering away, curled up on the forearm of the huge dragon. One hand under her cheek. Her chest rising and falling in an easy rhythm.

"I lived in a deep valley far to the east of here. It was a very secluded place. We'd lived there for many generations with little danger," Itachi told her one night.

They had camped on a cliff overlooking a huge lake. The surface of the water rippled and glittered under the moonlight.

"And one night, poachers arrived. My younger brother was just a hatchling."

He closed his eyes. She read the tightness in his face, letting out a long sigh.

"Hence the rampage?" she guessed. He didn't say anything. But she already knew his answer. She reached up and patted his snout a few times.

"They're not _all_ bad. But the ones that are... it's beyond words," she added.

"Yes," he conceded.

Sakura tilted her head to one side. And then she stood. She pressed her forehead to his snout. Listening to what sounded almost like a purr rumble out of him.

"I'd like to see your valley someday," Sakura stated.

* * *

It surprised no one in the party when, a few months later, Sakura announced that she was retiring from adventuring. While Kakashi grumbled about needing to hire a replacement warrior, he hugged Sakura tight. Wished her the best. And they stood watching her trudge away through the mist. The huge steps of the black dragon shaking the ground. His great tail swishing back and forth like a pendulum behind him.

A few years later, they heard rumors of something to the north. Deep in the mountains, along a treacherous, winding path prone to avalanches and sudden snows, they found tunnels dug deep into the stone. And inside, they found a massive horde. Piles and piles of gold. Rare jewels and relics stacked atop one another. Three little whelps squealed as they wrestled with one another among the treasure. And across the main entrance of the cave was a massive black tail.

Naruto patted the tail a few times. It shifted. He squinted, leaning closer with his torch. And he could make out the shape of two dragons curled together. One with sparkling gold eyes, the other darker than the deepest night, eyes like gleaming rubies.

"Y'know, we still never paid that innkeeper," Naruto called.

And Sakura's laughter echoed back down at him as she rose to greet her old friends.


	4. Nesting (2 of 2)

**title** Nesting (2/2)  
**summary** I like my men how I like my coffee. (On fire.) Hot._  
_**pairing** itasaku

* * *

Winter seeped into every crevice and under every door. Icicles hung from the bottoms of tree branches. Twinkling lovely and sharp in the morning sun.

Itachi exhaled. Steam puffing from his nostrils. He felt Sakura shift against him. His chin resting against the soft spot on her throat. Where he cold feel the heat swell and fade with each of her deep breaths.

Deep inside the cave, winter's cruelty barely touched them. The entrance to the outside world was well-insulated. And as a gesture of goodwill, Naruto had cast a cloaking charm over it on his way out. It had been a month since the departure of the human visitors. And while they had been loud, the joy lighting up Sakura's eyes had kept him from complaining.

But now that they were gone, there were no distractions. As a dragon, Itachi was supremely good at hoarding gold. The only thing he was better at guarding jealousy was his mate's attention.

In the first spring of their courtship, he had spent the entire season razing the valleys to scare off any potential rivals.

"Which is stupid, Itachi. Who else would I look at?" she drawled. All while lounging on a sun-warmed rock, making it clear that she had absolutely no intention of stopping him.

And then he spent the summer attacking the hoards of any rivals who were still foolish enough to stick around. It was an unorthodox approach. But it was fine with Sakura, who hated the idea of him pillaging human settlements. Those poor, soft little things who couldn't defend themselves against a single of his talons, much less his molten breath. She watched him take off into the skies in the early morning, only returning late and night with his jaws filled with gold and silver. Then the nights he spent burrowing into the side of a mountain, widening the caves water had long ago carved into the stone until they had a cozy little nest.

In her human form, Sakura watched him piling up the gold to fill one of the huge chambers. Her chin in her hands as he swept the goblets and coins together.

"What's up with dragons and hoards anyway?" she wondered out loud. Her bare feet swinging back and forth.

Itachi looked over his shoulder at her. Puffs of smoke leaking out of his nostrils.

"I'm not sure. It just feels right," he answered.

Sakura tilted her head. "Maybe you just like pretty things," she suggested.

He eyed her for a little while longer. His pupils dilating. "Clearly," he huffed before turning back to his task. The skin around his throat flushed red as she laughed.

And now, about a year later, Itachi coiled around Sakura a little tighter. He felt her tail wind around his, squeezing just a little. The rumbles of his breaths came out almost as a purr. Although their cozy home stayed warm, the cool weather outside made them lethargic. In fact, they likely would have been in full hibernation if not for something new. More accurately, three new somethings.

"Mama! Papa!"

A shriek pierced the quiet. As if on cue, two other squeals filled the air.

"Papa! Mama! Hungryyy!"

"Hungry, Papa! Food!"

Itachi sighed. He flexed his wing to cover his head as the three whelps wandered into the inner chamber. They clambered up onto their joined tails. Little teeth nipping and nudging.

"Papa! Food!" they wailed.

Itachi wondered if this was worse than being sealed underground for hundreds of years in hot magma. And for a brief moment, he couldn't really decide which he preferred. The magma was quiet, at least.

A growl rolled up Sakura's throat as she sat up. Her gaze flickered around the cave. She counted to make sure that all three were there. And then she gathered them in front of her with a sweep of her clawed hand. They sat obediently, still whining and flicking their skinny little tails. She shook her head, her iridescent scales glittering in the torch light.

"I guess it's time to go hunting," she muttered. Itachi grunted in response. He had gone the last time. He wasn't going to protest.

"I wanted to stretch my legs anyway," she added. And then she began to shimmer with a soft red light. With a flash, her huge body condensed. Scales receding, turning to smooth flesh. The horns on her head shrunk, disappearing into the hair that sprouted from her scalp. She stood in front of the three whelps, who were now the same size as their mother. They sniffed cautiously at her, as if to check that this strange creature was still their mother. Sakura moved around Itachi to the other end of the chamber. Where there sat actual pieces of human furniture. A grand armoire with gilded handles. A big mirror. Even a chair and matching ottoman. It had taken them a while to gather the furniture just to Sakura's liking, But she had insisted because she liked to be comfortable when in this smaller form too.

As Sakura opened up the armoire, the whelps trailed after her. They sniffed at the different dresses and cloaks hanging inside. There was also a chest plate propped up in the corner of the armoire, along with a battered helmet.

"I guess I'll head into town too while I'm out. Do you need anything, Itachi?" Sakura called, pulling on her warmest clothes. As she buttoned up her fur-lined cloak, one of the whelps poked his head underneath, nudging her.

"Mama, you're all little now," he observed. His brothers nodded. Laughing, Sakura smoothed her hands down the sides of his neck. Tickling his little chin. He purred, wiggling his tail.

"Yes, baby. And one day you'll be able to do this too," Sakura cooed in return.

"Me too! Me too!" his siblings chorused. Sakura smiled as she indulged them. When she pulled on her boots, three pairs of eyes stared in wonder at her wiggling fingers as she patted each of them again.

"Alright, darlings. Be very good for Papa," Sakura said. She didn't move until all three of the dragon young nodded at her. She then walked up to Itachi, who absolutely towered over her in this form. She wrapped her arms around his snout. He nuzzled against her. Then, very slowly, one of his eyes cracked open. The iris brilliant and sharp like a polished ruby. She watched the way his slit-shaped pupil dilated as he stared right back at her.

"Be right back," she whispered. When she kissed his scales, his eye drifted shut again.

As Sakura climbed up the piles of gold, up toward the surface, the whelps began trailing after her. Their dull claws scrabbled against the treasure, sending goblets and trophies clattering onto the stone. Eyes still closed, Itachi reached out. He swept his arm around the young, squishing them against his chest.

"Go back to sleep. Mama will come back faster if you do," he ordered, ignoring their squirming. It didn't take long for them to give up. They wouldn't have the strength to beat him for at least a few decades. They balled up against his chest, dozing off. Their little snouts twitching as they dreamt. And Itachi wrapped his tail around them, forming a protective circle. Black scales glittering in the dim cave as he let out another steaming breath.

Sakura returned a little before sundown. She pried the wooden door open. One hand cupped around her mouth as she called down the tunnel. A deep grumble answered her. And in the darkness, two crimson eyes glowed. The ground trembled a little as Itachi crawled out to meet her. There was a pouch sitting at her feet. Sakura untied it to reveal a huge amount of gold coins. It would be a nice addition to their ever-expanding hoard. But it certainly wasn't big enough to hold enough food for their little brood.

Itachi's eyes narrowed when he smelled something. And when he stuck his head out into the cold, he saw the carcass of an enormous moose. Blood pooling into the snow. She hefted her axe over her shoulder, the blade shining wetly.

"Found him right by that ravine!" Sakura told him, grinning proudly. "Took him down in three chops!"

Itachi closed his teeth around the fallen beast. He took careful steps backwards, dragging the moose underground. Sakura followed after him, taking care to conceal and seal the entrance to their home.

The smell of fresh blood drew the whelps. They clambered over one another, whining. Smoke huffed out of Itachi's nostrils as he snapped his jaws at them. Teeth gleaming red. The whelps fell silent.

"Your mama worked hard to bring you this meal. You don't eat until she has the first bite," he growled. And they bent their contrite little heads, eyes averted. Sakura stroked their snouts as she walked past. Further down the tunnels, there was a burst of red light. The flutter of her wings blowing warm air back toward them. And Sakura returned, black talons digging into the packed earth. She bent her neck to tear into the belly of the moose. Guts steaming as they spilled onto the tunnel floor. She ripped off a leg. And only when she took a step back did Itachi nudge their children forward. They pounced on the beast, little teeth digging into the warm flesh.

"You know," Sakura remarked as she lowered the leg to the ground. She rubbed at her mouth with a talon. "I'm not actually hungry."

Itachi leaned in. His forked tongue darted out. Licked the remaining blood from her mouth. "I know. But they have to learn their manners," he answered. Smiling, Sakura nuzzled against the underside of his throat. She could feel the soft heat of his breaths through the plate-like scales, woven together like armor. He nudged her back.

"I suppose you're right, _Papa_," she purred in return.


	5. Shelter

**title** Shelter  
**summary** _Shelter by Porter Robinson. Google it, son._  
**pairing** itasaku

_This was an oldie I wrote for Uchisaku week on tumblr for moor and company. It was also written when I was SUPER into Porter Robinson, which explains a lot, I think..._

* * *

Dust rose in a great cloud as he yanked at the tarp. They both coughed. Deidara waved his hand in front of his face. He staggered back a big step. But Itachi, determined to press on, pulled harder at the plastic sheeting. It snagged. With a little more persuasion, it fluttered off, landing in a quiet heap in the sand.

"Holy shit, Itachi. How old is this thing?" Deidara said, still coughing. He took a step closer, squinting at the machine in the dark.

Itachi flicked on the lights in the shed. The bare bulbs flickered to life, illuminated the dusty thing. He pulled down the cloth covering his mouth and nose. It hung at his throat, a faded strip of blue fabric.

"Not sure. Our old man used to ride this around when he was my age, I think," replied Itachi. Deidara let out a long whistle. Tapping the side of his glasses, he cycled through the settings so he could zoom in closer. He examined the rusted parts and the dirt-clogged gears.

"Heh. This thing looks like it was built when his old man was your age too," Deidara remarked. Itachi shoved him a little before he walked past him to the workbench pushed up against the wall.

"So what's the sudden hurry to fix up this dinosaur? You short on money or something?" Deidara probed. He sat down on an old bucket in the corner, out of the way as Itachi got to work. Itachi wrestled with the hatch on the side of the machine for a moment. But it stuck. He dealt it a sharp kick and it opened with a dull snap.

"No. Sasuke was...hold on..." Itachi grunted as he reached deep inside the motor. His arm emerged, smeared with synthetic lubricant. The gauge in his hand blinked with a green light. At least the engine was still working, under all those years of dust filling it.

"Sasuke was saying that some group of celebrity sky-surfers were coming on tour here. He wants to go out to the flats to see them," explained Itachi. He walked back to the workbench, searching for just the right tool. His fingers skimmed over the lines of wrenches. Seemingly at random, he picked one out of the line and hefted it in his palm.

"Sky-surfers on Mars? And not even up by Olympus Mons but in the valley? Are you sure the squirt didn't misread or something?" Deidara scoffed. Itachi shook his head, looking up at his friend.

"No, I read it too. They're coming in 40 sols. Maybe just enough time to get this thing working," Itachi said, kicking at the old machine, "so he can ride out and go see them himself. I won't have time to take him."

Deidara looked at him like he was crazy. Then again, he always did when it came to doing things for Sasuke. But Deidara hadn't grown up with a little brother. He never understood when it came to things like that. Still, he hung around for the rest of the afternoon while Itachi tried to work his magic on the old bucket of dust and rust. This thing had once traveled across the red sands with no problem. It could probably weather a few more trips.

Sasuke was a nuisance. He asked about the bike every day after school. He pestered Itachi, poking his head in the shack to ask how things were going.

"What's so good about these sky-surfers anyway? Even you know how to surf a little," Itachi asked one afternoon. He accepted the cold drink Sasuke had fetched from the fridge. Sitting on top of the workbench, Sasuke shook his head.

"No way. You have to watch their videos. They do..._crazy_ things. Apparently Terran gravity makes their training really hard. So when they get here, it's like..." Sasuke trailed off, struggling to explain. His eyes sparkled wildly as he fumbled for a video on his phone. Chuckling, Itachi mussed his younger brother's hair.

"I'll take your word for it. Now get out. I've got some soldering to do. I don't want you to get hurt," he ordered.

By the time the visitors were descending on the space elevator, the bike was somehow working.

Itachi pointed at the dashboard.

"This blue button is for hydrogen thrust. If you ever get stuck in sand or something, you can use it to get you out. It's also good to pump it a little after you're done riding, just to clean out the vents a little," he explained. But Sasuke was already fastening his helmet. He grabbed the handlebars, pushing the vehicle outside. Itachi squinted up at the sky. It was another hot, dry day in the valley.

"Be back in time for dinner. Don't make mom worry, okay?" Itachi said. Sasuke nodded.

"Thanks, bro!" he yelled as he fired up the engine. It was an old thing. But it ran on oxygen and solar cells, which meant that it would never run out of power. The newer models ran on tiny crystals that ran on nuclear decay. They were also incredibly expensive. They were only manufactured Ganymede, where all the companies were outsourcing their production these days.

Itachi shaded his eyes as he watched Sasuke disappear into the distance. Clouds of dirt and steam exhaust trailed behind him.

Itachi finished his coffee before he caught the shuttle to work. The workshop was as busy as always. There were a few lightweight bikes waiting to be serviced. Likely problems with their power cells. He suspected that this line might be recalled soon. These were too new to be breaking down like this.

There was also by some miracle of science, a Terran car in the garage too. Every part of it was clogged with sand. The engine didn't even make a feeble attempt to start when they pressed the button.

"Probably left it out during a sandstorm. Moron," muttered Genma. Biting a pencil between his teeth, he watched someone open up the hood. A puff of dust rose to greet him. The other workers roared with laughter.

"These things weren't built for weather like this. This thing's probably clogged with sand from the engine to the tailpipe. What does it even run on?" Kisame grumbled.

"Looks like it's an old hybrid. Probably gasoline and electricity," said Itachi, pointing at the combustion engine. Kisame scowled.

"It's a relic. That's what it is," he retorted. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled at the mechanic suctioning dirt out of the engine.

"Leave that thing alone for now. The owner's not coming back for it until next month. Get to work on that truck in the back," ordered Kisame. They quickly abandoned the car in favor of the indicated vehicle. When the boss gave orders, they moved.

"Where's your mini-me? Isn't it a weekend? He's usually causing trouble in here by now," Genma asked, nudging Itachi with his elbow. Itachi didn't reply as he shoved his bag into his locker. When he shut the door, it sealed with a small click. It wouldn't open again until he typed in a code. The dual number and fingerprint lock had been a nice addition last year. It stopped people from stealing each other's deodorant when they ran out.

"Went to go see the sky-surfers from Earth. They're on a tour of all the big colonies," he replied. He reached back to tighten his hair tie.

"Heh, guess we're getting old. I can't keep up with that trending stuff anymore," sighed Genma. Chuckling, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

When Itachi got home from work, his mom was already cooking dinner. It bubbled away on the stove, filling the house with a spicy smell. He pulled off his coat and mask off in the outer room. Sand and tiny rocks scattered across the floor. Automated vacuums sucked up the debris. He dropped his clothes in the laundry chute. The washing machine would do a load once enough clothes had accumulated.

"Mom, I'm home," he called as he walked into the house. The doors sealed behind him with a beep.

"Welcome back, dear," she said from the kitchen. He paused in the hallway to check the big panel there. He flicked through the notifications left for him. There were a couple of notices for upcoming bills. Someone had sent an invitation to a get-together. He archived them for later.

A notification popped up, alerting him of an incoming package. He pressed the green accept button. The chute in the hallway lit up. Something whooshed through, landing in his waiting hand.

"Oh. Finally," he remarked as he peeled back the packaging. He placed it back in the chute and watched it get sucked back up. It would be recycled to be used for another package somewhere else.

Itachi held up the clear disk in the light. It glimmered faintly blue as he rotated it. He popped it into his wristband. The interface glowed yellow for an instant as the software installed. It flickered for a moment before it rebooted.

"Memory capacity increased. Would you like to install an additional upgrade for the low price-"

"Decline," he sighed. He tapped the receiver in his ear once before he popped it out.

"I'm going to take a shower. Is Sasuke back yet?" Itachi said as he headed further down the hall. He paused at the foot of the stairs. His mother turned to look at him, knife held in one hand and a carrot in another.

"Not yet. He texted me about an hour ago saying he was on his way back. He should be here soon," she answered. Nodding, Itachi walked upstairs to wash the grime off his body. Shedding the rest of his clothes, he cycled through his closet interface until he found the right outfit. When he pushed the select button, a drawer opened up in front of him with the fresh set of clothes. With another push of a button, he started the shower in the room over. He fiddled with the temperature a bit before he stepped in to wash.

As he rubbed shampoo into his hair, a series and vibrations on his wrist caught his attention. He waved his arm once and a screen lit up the shower wall. It was Sasuke, waving from inside an unfamiliar car.

"Hey, big bro. Sorry I interrupted your shower," said Sasuke, grinning far too widely. Itachi rinsed the rest of his shampoo out as he spoke.

"Where are you? Dinner's almost ready."

Sasuke pursed his lips. He lifted his arm and angled it behind him. It was the old bike he had ridden out on. Sasuke tilted the camera back toward his face.

"It broke down. Guess I messed up something in it," he explained. Itachi's eyes snapped open. He dragged his hands over his face, wiping away water so he could see better.

"What? Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?" Itachi demanded, already shutting off the water and grabbing a clean towel. Sasuke shook his free hand.

"Nah, nah, don't worry. I'm getting a ride now. I'll be there in a bit. Just tell Mom not to worry," Sasuke said before he disconnected.

Itachi stood in the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. He considered calling his brother back and demanding a more concrete explanation. But then he sighed. There was no point in scolding Sasuke before he was even home. That could wait.

He pressed a button on the shower wall. A gust of warm air swept over him, drying most of his body and hair. He dressed quickly, still pulling his shirt over his head as he walked downstairs.

"Mom, Sasuke just called. The bike broke down so he's getting a ride back. Doesn't seem like he's hurt," he told her, leaning into the kitchen. Mikoto turned to him, eyes widening.

"Oh no. Are you sure?" she asked. But before he could reply, the doorbell rang. They both left the kitchen. The hallway panel lit up with Sasuke's face. He was still smiling way too much.

"Where are your keys?" questioned Itachi. Sasuke shrugged.

"Forgot them. Come outside for a sec," he said. Itachi folded his arms over his chest.

"Oh, come on. Seriously. Just for a second. I've got to show you something," insisted Sasuke before the screen went blank. Itachi looked over at his mother. Mikoto simply smiled, shrugging.

"I guess it's important. Go take a look. I'll set the table," she urged, giving him a gentle push toward the door. Grumbling, Itachi shoved his feet into shoes and walked out into the sun again. He immediately regretted stepping into the heat.

But to his astonishment, there was a strange van parked in front of their house. Sasuke ran up to greet him, his eyes almost manic in their excitement. He pointed to the side of the van, as if Itachi couldn't read on his own.

"They drove me all the way here. Isn't that amazing?" he babbled. The driver stuck his head out the window. He had shaggy orange hair, sunglasses, and the beginnings of sunburn on his nose.

"It was no problem, kid," he assured him. A second head poked out on the passenger's side.

"Seriously. We're not going to leave a guy stuck out there by himself," he added.

"Thank you for bringing my brother home. This must be out of your way," Itachi apologized. There was a blast of air rushing out through something. They looked in the direction of the shed in the back. Someone shut the door before gliding over to them.

It was a woman, pink hair tied up in a short ponytail. She rode over on her red board, hovering just a few inches off the ground. Grinning, she bumped her fist against Sasuke's.

"Left the bike where you said. If your brother's as smart as you say he is, I'm sure he'll fix it up for you," she said. Sasuke nodded. But then the woman pulled her sunglasses off to look at Itachi standing beside him. She stepped off the board, putting weight on the edge until it stood vertically.

She extended her hand. Itachi shook it.

"I'm Sakura. This is Juugo and Suigetsu," she said, pointing at the other two in the van. They waved.

"Itachi. Thanks again."

She flashed him another smile before she put her sunglasses back on.

"Alright. We've got to get going. It was nice meeting you two," she greeted them. And then, kicking her board flat, she turned to look at her companions. She jerked her head toward the road. The van rumbled forward, wide treads leaving marks in the sand.

Itachi watched, slack-jawed as she launched straight up into the air. Her board left white trails in its wake as she dove back down. She spun once before she followed after the van. She moved in loops as easily as if she were following a track. She weaved ahead of and over the van without hesitation. Her companions laughed as they merged onto the road.

"_Now_ do you get it?" Sasuke piped up, a little smugly.

Itachi didn't say anything. Closing his mouth, he put his hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"Let's go eat dinner," he said.

* * *

Sasuke was ecstatic about his encounter for the better part of the next week. All his friends from school gushed about the chance to spend time with the Terran sky-surfers.

_"The TAS, big brother. Terran Astro Surfers. That's what everyone calls them,"_ Sasuke corrected rather snootily one morning. Itachi looked at him for a long moment. He pinched his nose in retaliation before he got up to leave for work.

At night, Sasuke's room was aglow with instant messages and video chats as his friends grilled him.

"So, you got to TOUCH Sakura's hand? What was that like?" Naruto gushed. His face drifted in the interface, bouncing around with his movements. Another screen showed Kiba's face.

"Is Juugo really as tall as everyone says?" he asked.

Itachi shut the door to Sasuke's room as he passed. He supposed being excited about something like that made sense.

Gradually, as the days passed, the excitement began to fade. Sasuke focused more on his schoolwork instead. And Itachi went to work, like always.

The following weekend, Itachi sat on the hood of the same ridiculous car that had been brought in last week. He rapped the hood with his knuckles.

"It's going to be crazy expensive to fix this thing. They're honestly better off selling this to a museum," he pointed out. Kisame shrugged.

"True. We don't even carry half the parts we need. I had to call in a favor to my cousin Hayate up by the ice cap," Genma affirmed. The screen on the nearby wall lit up to notify them of a new customer. Kisame started to get up before Itachi stopped him.

Wiping his hands clean on a rag, Itachi walked out of the garage and into the adjoining office. In the lobby stood a pink-haired woman, her crimson board tucked under her arm. Her face lit up when she recognized him.

"Hey! I didn't know this was your place," she greeted him.

"I only co-own this place. How can I help you?" he corrected her. Sakura pointed at her board, standing it upright. Instead of staying, it teetered to one side.

"I think the gravity here is messing with my board's calibration. Do you think you could take a look? I heard good things about this place," Sakura said. When Itachi held out his hands, she nudged the board over to him. He flipped it over a few times, testing the weight. He ran his fingers over the shiny surface. There were some dents and scratches. But it was polished and obviously cared-for.

After some searching, he found the interface slot on the underside of it. Pressing his wristband to it, he listened to the beeping and whirring as it unlocked. He raised his wrist to his eyes, reading off the data.

"Hm. Something does look off. Let me take it out back and open it up."

"Can I come with you?" she immediately asked. He hesitated before he motioned her to follow.

He led her down the hall and into the workshop. It was particularly noisy on one end as a team attempted to-

What _were_ they doing?

Itachi nudged Genma with his elbow.

"They're trying to install a watermelon with hovertech. To see if they can fly a melon," he explained. Itachi opened his mouth to ask another question. But then he simply shook his head and continued on to his workbench.

He laid a clean sheet on top of the table before he placed the board on top. Itachi scowled when he noticed Deidara hunched at the table over.

"Deidara, get out. What are you even doing here?" he sighed. Deidara looked up, pointing at his iScope. He noticed Sakura and waved with his screwdriver.

"Just replacing some parts. The battery life on this thing is shit," answered Deidara. Itachi shook his head.

"Then go to the Genius Bar and have them fix it. This is where I work," he scolded. Deidara made a face, tongue sticking out.

"Ugh. They don't cover this kind of stuff. I'll be done in a minute, grumpy," Deidara retorted.

Sakura leaned against the side of the workbench. She tucked her sunglasses into the front of her shirt. There was a tattoo of a bird on her collarbone, as if taking flight from her heart. She watched as he unscrewed the flat panel at the bottom of the board.

Itachi stared at the chips and wires inside. It was beautiful, like all machines were. There was a perfect harmony in the way that the cables and lights worked inside. And yet, there was something slightly asymmetrical about the this one. Maybe it was the positioning of some of the circuits. Or the shape of the valve that regulated the flow of oxygen in through the vents.

"Did you _make_ this?" Itachi asked. He scanned the inside of the board with his wristband. The specs popped up. But instead of the name of a big manufacturer, he found her name in block letters. When he looked over at her, she was smiling, just a little proudly.

"I had to look up some videos and ask around, but I figured it out. It's not bad, right?" replied Sakura. Itachi laughed a little as he looked back at the board. A the precise shape of it, like it had been tailored for her height and weight. He had thought that it seemed a little lighter than normal. She had even customized the the sounds it made as it powered on and off.

"Yes...if 'not bad' means incredible on Earth," he answered. Sakura laughed too, throwing her head back.

"Okay. So you caught my humble-brag. But you're one to talk," Sakura continued. She pointed at him. There was a tattoo of another bird on her pointer finger. He stared at it for a second.

"Because I took a look at that bike your brother came on. That bucket of bolts shouldn't have even gotten him _halfway_ to us. What witchcraft did you use there?" she accused. But there was a glimmer in his eye that he recognized. It wasn't just a polite question for the sake of making small talk. Itachi glanced down at her board before he looked at her again. She waited, eyebrows raised.

"Have you ever taken apart an ionizer before?" he asked.

* * *

It turned out that Sakura's board needed a very special part that the shop didn't carry. Itachi ordered it from their supplier, paying a little extra for it to be expedited. Luckily, a cargo ship had arrived from Ganymede a few days ago. It would arrive through the chutes sometime the following morning.

Sakura beamed.

"Thank goodness. I was worried that my baby was broken. I carried it through customs because I was afraid they would throw it around in the cargo hold. I seriously love that thing, you know?" she sighed. Itachi walked her back to the lobby, nodding.

"Anyway, thanks... for everything. I never even considered crossing the wires that way. I might try that with the next one I build," Sakura added. She extended her wrist, flashing her credit card for him to scan. Itachi pushed her hand back.

"Pay when you come back tomorrow afternoon," he said. And then Itachi glanced outside through the windows.

It was another hot summer day. He couldn't wait until autumn came. Summers on Mars always seemed to last forever. Winter was the best- when snow fell, covering the red sands so it wouldn't blow everywhere. Maybe people in the greener plains felt differently. Sakura turned to follow his gaze.

"It looks pretty brutal outside. Do you want to wait around? I could give you a ride back once we close up," Itachi offered.

Sakura hesitated, glancing down at her wrist for the time.

"There's a cafe next door. They make some of the best coffee this side of the valley," he then said. Sakura looked up at him, head tilting slightly.

"Uh... would you mind if I stuck around here? As long as I'm not in the way," she replied.

Itachi blinked too many times. He swallowed thickly.

"Of course not."

In a couple hours, the sun began to set and all the employees gathered their things to go home for the night. Itachi grabbed his bag and then clapped Kisame on the shoulder.

"I'll do final checks and lock-up. See you in the morning, boys," Genma said, heading to the lobby to lock the doors and set timers for the security system. Sakura waved at Genma and Kisame before she hurried to follow Itachi. He looped around behind the garage and pulled a tarp off a shiny bike. Sakura squinted over her sunglasses as she took a few steps closer.

And then, straightening, hands slipping into the pockets of her bomber jacket, she let out a low whistle. Itachi took a step back, gesturing for her to approach.

"That... is a babe," she slowly said. She ran her hand along the top of the seat, over the handlebars.

This was nothing like the rusted fossil that had stranded Sasuke. This purred under her hand. The interface lit up when she just looked at it. She looked back at Itachi again and he nodded.

Sakura climbed on top of the bike, easing into the curve of the seat. Her hands curled around the handlebars. She jolted a little when she heard Itachi's voice so close. He reached over her shoulder to point out the glowing shapes on the interface. Her eyes narrowed as she listened to him.

"So why was baby brother driving the dinosaur when you have this monster?" she interrupted his explanation. She tilted her head over her shoulder to look at it. Itachi chuckled. his arm touching hers.

"He crashed this bike the first time I let him use it. I had to half-rebuild it. So he's...on probation," explained Itachi. Sakura's eyes went wide at the horror. She stroked the metal body like it was a wounded creature. Laughing, he pushed her back so he could get on the bike too.

"Before you ask, you're not allowed to drive it either. Where to?" he asked. Arms tightening around his waist, she laughed as she recited the address of her hotel.

* * *

As he had promised, the part for Sakura's board came the following day. She showed up just after lunch, sunglasses dark and her lipstick bright red. It wasn't that she had been unnoticeable the day before. But she was clearly one of the bosses' guests and so no one approached her. One of the mechanics tapped Itachi on the knee. It took a moment, but he slid out from underneath the truck. He spotted Sakura, a spot of pink against the sweaty men. She smiled, revealing her white teeth.

"Is my baby ready?" she asked. With a grunt, Itachi got to his feet. He handed over his wrench to one of the employees. He directed Sakura to his bench, his hand just barely resting on her back to guide her.

A squeal left Sakura as she spotted her board. She activated it with her wristband. The white lights on the side lit up in the order that she had programmed. It rose above the workbench. And when she tilted it upright, it stood perfectly still, just the hum of the engines working. Absolute glee lit up Sakura's face. Throwing her arms around Itachi, she dangled from his neck.

"Thank you!" she laughed.

Like a whirlwind, she paid Itachi and then she was gone, riding directly out of the garage on her board. She looped around the building once and did a corkscrew before she flew off into the distance.

Itachi stood staring, not quite processing what had happened. Genma and Kisame exchanged looks before they approached their friend.

"Uh...at least she hugged you," Kisame offered. Genma nodded.

"Yeah. She was cute but she wasn't..._that_ cute... right?" Genma tried to comfort him. They took a long look at Itachi's expression before they sighed in unison.

Work slowly resumed in the garage. Employees went back to their tasks, awkwardly avoiding looking at Itachi. Mashing his lips together, Itachi took a step back toward the truck to resume fixing the tailpipe. He stopped when the high-pitched whir of a small engine grew closer. Everyone else looked up too.

It didn't take long for Sakura to swoosh back into the garage through one of the open doors. She did a tight swerve around the big truck before she stopped directly in front of Itachi. She pulled her sunglasses off and stuffed them into her jacket pocket. Hair tousled, she grabbed Itachi's forearm.

"It feels too smooth. Did you do something?" she asked. Itachi looked down at her feet. How was she flying that thing while wearing heels?

"I just calibrated the gyroscope," he admitted.

Squealing with laughter, she grasped his arm with her other hand too. She spun them in a circle. Itachi's feet scrambled to follow her movement.

"She's never flown better. You've seriously got to feel this. Get on!" urged Sakura. Before he could protest, she was yanking at him. When he dug his heels in, Kisame took action. Grabbing his around the waist, the larger man hoisted him on the board. Itachi had time to whirl to fix Kisame with a glower of utmost betrayal for precisely one second before Sakura took off.

He grabbed hold of her waist as they jolted forward.

The world blurred past far too quickly. Objects came directly at him. Signs, roofs, even cars. Sakura swirled and weaved past these things without the slightest bit of hesitation. She spun the board a few times and even did flips. Each time she did, Itachi was 1000% certain that he would slip, leaving a bloody spatter on the red soil.

By far the most insane thing she did was shift her weight back as she approached a building. Instead of dodging, she drove them straight up the side before flipping backwards.

Itachi was certain that he peed just a little.

His ears were still ringing when she dropped him back off at the garage. His feet touched solid ground and he breathed a silent prayer. Hands on her hips, she circled around him once, like some bird of prey.

"Hm. Not bad for a first-timer. Didn't scream even once," she remarked. Kisame took one look at Itachi's dazed expression.

"Nah. Pretty sure he was screaming on the inside the entire time," he guessed too accurately. Itachi still had the energy to glare at him.

"Still. Not shabby. Later, Itachi," Sakura said. She leaned forward to kiss the tip of his nose. And then she glided away on her board, throwing him one last cheeky smile as she went.

"That woman is like...a natural disaster in a human body," Genma remarked in a low voice.

It took Itachi a full minute to find words.

"I'm...going home for the day," he finally announced. The other employees exchanged grimaces.

"Don't die, boss," one called after him as he walked away, stiff-legged.

* * *

She showed up again a few days later. The same red lipstick, the same devilish smile. For some reason, everyone flushed as she floated in. Stepping off her board, she snuck up behind Itachi. Wiggling under his arm, she peeked at his workbench.

"When do you get off work?" she asked without greeting. Itachi looked down at her with almost exasperation before he answered.

"The same time as last time."

"Hm..." she said, eyes narrowing. She straightened and Itachi resumed his work. He jolted when she leaned in close to his ear to whisper.

"I'll see you then."

"You've only got so many brain cells, Itachi. I'd save them," remarked Genma as he watched Itachi smack his head repeatedly against the tabletop.

Despite himself, Itachi locked up the garage for the night and then hung around the back, waiting. She showed up a few minutes later. She stopped on the roof of the store next door, her silhouette black against the dark blue sky. She looked around for a second. And when she saw him, she floated down quite gracefully.

"Do you think your bike can keep up with me?" Sakura challenged.

Itachi bristled.

They raced out of the valley, over dunes and past the city limits. She took him far from the cluster of cars and buildings. Slowly, cacti and palms began to dot the edges of the road. And when she coasted to a stop, it was at the top of a huge cliff. Below sat his city, lights blinking on as the sun sank deeper toward the horizon. Itachi glanced further out toward the right. He knew that further toward the west, the desert eventually met a large sea. He used to take Sasuke there on weekends to tan on the beaches made black by volcanic sand.

Sakura stood on the edge of the cliff, suddenly quiet. Itachi walked over to join her. Out further north, Olympus Mons draped its shadow across a huge section of the valley. Distant cities glittered on the horizon, casting a faint white glow up toward the sky.

He felt her hand slip into his.

"I've seen pictures of the colonies out here all the time. It's just...I never knew how pretty they could be," she commented. She turned to look at him, red mouth smiling.

His hand tightened around hers.

"Very pretty," he agreed.

She was gone two weeks later. On the next shuttle headed for Jupiter. They were headed for Europa, Ganymede, and Titan before slingshotting back to Earth. The rest of the tour would take roughly a year, even with the fastest shuttles.

Finger pressing to her lips, she infrared-beamed him her number.

"This is my private line. I'll pick up as long as I'm not in the middle of a performance," she promised. Her numbers glowed on his wristband before recording into his contacts.

She left him with one last kiss, her hands slipping into the pockets of his jacket. She had taken a liking to doing that. Then she was in the space elevator and she was gone.

* * *

Sasuke had no idea what had gotten into his older brother over the next several weeks. He was so sulky that Sasuke began to wonder if teenage hormones were contagious. When he asked his mother, she simply laughed without saying anything.

All his questions were answered when TAS arrived on Europa. The internet flooded with videos of their performances and interviews. For some reason, Sasuke found several notifications from his friends. They urged him to watch one interview in particular, in all capital letters. He swiped across the interface to select the video.

"So, all three of you have done a lot of traveling these last several months. Is there anything you miss in particular about Earth?" the woman asked. Juugo laughed.

"Terran pizza. Sorry, Mars. You may export all the tomatoes to Earth. You've got nothing on greasy New York style pizza," he replied.

"I probably miss my family the most. I talk to my brother almost every day, but I never realized how much I appreciated his bad fart jokes," Suigetsu said.

"Way to talk about family and make Juugo look shallow," Sakura scolded. They all laughed together.

"What about your romantic lives? Any partners you've left behind?" the interviewer continued. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Nope. Maybe I'll start looking once we stop touring. It's hard to find a real connection when we're always on the move," Suigetsu replied. Juugo nodded. But when all eyes turned to Sakura, she gave a mischievous smile.

"I might have left my heart with some dorky guy in a little desert town. Who knows," she said with a shrug.

"Woah! Seriously? Who is it? Is it another surfer?" the interviewer probed.

Sakura shrugged again. And then she looked directly into the camera.

"Let's just say he's the only guy who's ever seduced me by talking about an ionizer," she stated with a wink.

Sasuke let out a screech. Grabbing the video, he shoved it into his wristband. He stumbled into his brother's room. Itachi sat at his desk, flicking through his emails for the day. Sasuke shoved the emails aside and threw the video onto the screen.

"You're not going to believe this."


	6. Contralto (1 of 2)

**title** Contralto (1/2)  
**summary** _It's a scary story about a witch who eats your heart.  
_**pairing **itasaku_  
_

* * *

Fog settled over the woods in a heavy blanket. The damp leaves muffled the sounds in the forest. Turning the spindly trees into monsters with gnarled arms reaching to the heavens.

She let out a long breath. Lowered the hood of her cloak. The fabric was the color of blood against her white skin. She flexed her fingers, feeling her gloves creak against the movement. Pulling her shears from her basket, she ventured deeper into the trees.

The plant she was looking for didn't like to be out in the open. It took shelter under trees, roots burrowing into cramped patches of soil. Sometimes it climbed up hills, springing from soil that seemed otherwise lifeless. She snipped branches, careful to leave enough to allow the plant to continue growing. The thorns snagged on the fabric of her gloves. She tugged them free.

A cold wind whistled through the trees. Gathering the cloak around herself, she lifted her chin. There was a rustle in the woods. She waited, holding her breath.

Most bears had already gone into hiding for the winter. They burrowed deep into their warm dens. In fact, as the leaves withered and fell from the trees, many of the animals either left for warmer weather or looked for shelter. So it likely wasn't a bear. But that meant that it could be something much worse.

As she squinted in the dark, she could make out a human shape. Which didn't say much either. There were many human-shaped things lurking in the night. She exhaled, mist spilling from her mouth. The figure didn't come any closer.

She snapped her fingers. Sparks flew from them, like flint striking steel. A small orb of fire appeared between her thumb and middle finger. She tossed it up into the air. It hovered at shoulder-height, illuminating the brush a little better. Casting an orange glow over her own face too.

A boy stood half-hidden behind a tree. He was far too thin. Shirt drooping off his shoulder. But it was the eyes that caught her attention. A brown that bordered on red. Unsettling and normal all at once.

He didn't move toward her. He didn't flee either. She saw his cheeks were dry, devoid of the tears that normally accompanied children lost in the forest.

The fire also revealed a plant heavy with fruits that sat between them. The leaves sagged under the weight of the berries. They were black, shining like patches of ice in the darkest winter night. The boy's eyes darted to the plant. Hunger made his eyes gleam brighter than the fruits.

"Don't eat those if you don't want to die," she warned, turning away from him. She grasped the edges of her hood.

"…What if I want to?" he asked. Voice scratching like stone crumbling apart.

Her hands paused.

She looked over her shoulder at him. Studied his gaunt, dirty face. The dark shadows under his eyes. He was far too thin for a child. She had seen many like him before. She also knew why he didn't beg and cry.

He understood that he had been abandoned.

"Do whatever you want. But make sure you eat a lot if you don't want to suffer," she retorted. Pulling the hood over her hair, she strode down the path she had memorized many years ago.

It was quiet for a long time. A solitary owl hooted as she moved past its tree. Leaves rustled as the wind tickled them. And then, she heard a set of footsteps that didn't match up with her own. They rustled through the leaves as the little boy followed her home. Crunching in staccato as he stumbled over the roots and vines that littered the forest floor.

The winding trail through the woods led to an oddly-shaped place. It had started off as an old, square cottage. But as the years went on, she had added on to it. An extra room off the kitchen. And then a second floor. To the left was a greenhouse made from red wood and squares of glass. The glass trapped the heat inside during the winter months and kept pests out.

As she approached, the lanterns lining the path suddenly lit themselves. The windows of the house filled with gold light too. She stepped down the stone path, ignoring the double doors out front. Instead, she followed the mossy stones, around the side of the house. To the back door. A big crow sat on the lantern mounted beside the door. When Sakura approached, it let out a single "caw".

Sakura opened the back door. The smell of something sweet wafted out to greet her. The jars of apple jelly she had left on the counter were still warm when she ran her hand along them.

The boy hovered in the doorway of the kitchen. Neither in nor out. He watched as she stepped out of her shoes and undid the tie on the front of her cloak. She tossed it over the back of a chair. The cloak draped itself so that it wouldn't wrinkle. The broom leaning in the corner sprang to life when she gestured toward it. It swept up the little bits of leaves and dirt that had followed her shoes into the house. The boy stepped aside as the broom approached to push the dirt outside.

"Have you eaten?" Sakura inquired.

The boy stared at her.

Sighing, Sakura twisted her right hand through the air. The fire in the hearth roared a little brighter. There was a black cauldron hanging in the fireplace. Whatever was inside began to bubble. Soon, the kitchen was filled with a savory smell. Herbs mingling together in a delicious harmony.

As the soup heated, Sakura opened up the breadbox. Inside was part of the loaf of sourdough she had baked yesterday. She sliced off a generous hunk and set it on a clean plate. As she worked, she glanced up at the boy.

"Shut the door. You'll let the heat out," she instructed.

He stared at her. She stared right back. Until he moved to close the door. The lock turned before he could touch it.

"Sit."

A chair jerked out from the table, swiveling towards him. He stepped across the floor, barefoot. The broom followed after him. The sweeps almost sounded like scolding as it gathered up the dust he had dragged in.

Once the soup was warm, Sakura pulled a bowl from the cabinet. A ladle rose from one of the hooks by the sink. It dipped into the cauldron, pulling up a generous serving of a deep brown soup. Translucent slices of onion and bits of herbs bobbed on the surface. The ladle deposited the soup in the bowl before it threw itself in the sink.

Sakura made a pushing gesture with both hands. Both the soup and the bread floated across the room. They landed very gently on the table in front of him.

He began devouring his food without hesitation. He didn't even notice when she slipped out of the kitchen.

"Boy," she said, appearing again. His head jerked up. Mouth stuffed full of bread and soup.

"When you finish eating, just go to sleep. Don't touch anything. Find somewhere else to stay in the morning," she told him. Throwing the blanket at his feet, she turned and walked out of the room. She climbed the stairs up to her room. Listening to the spoon clink furiously against the side of the bowl. The lock of her bedroom door snapped shut behind her.

In the morning, he was gone. The pantry doors were ajar, as were the drawers of her cabinets. Several pieces of her cutlery were gone. Two jars of her apple jelly were missing too.

Sakura stood in her kitchen, hands on her hips as she surveyed the damage.

"Oh well," she sighed. She gave a wave of her hand. The broom in the corner stood upright and began sweeping across the floor.

She raised her arms. A clean apron whisked off the hook by the door. It lowered itself over her head, strings tying a neat bow behind her back.

"It could be worse," she added as she picked up the dirty bowl and plate from last night to place them in the sink.

Later that morning, Sakura pulled her cloak over her dress. Basket hung over her forearm, she headed out of her house. The lock snapped shut behind her as she descended the stone steps.

The market was bustling already. Merchants pushed their carts past, chickens clucking in their cages. The women cupped their hands around their mouths, shouting about the prices of their cabbage and whatnot.

The people in the street tried not to make eye contact with her. But they didn't exactly ignore her either. There were a few nervous nods here and there.

Magic was one of those strange things that was both illegal and extremely common. A new mother with a colicky baby often sought soothing potions. The priest turned to her when he came across congregants who suffered from nightmares. Men who toiled in the fields stopped by for salves for their blistered hands and feet. Almost everyone in town had asked her for something.

It had become an unspoken agreement that she was both an abomination and necessary. Which was why no one had tried to chase her out with torches and pitchforks yet.

Sakura bought a few things in the market. On her way to the apothecary, she thought she saw someone following her. She turned, red cloak swishing with the movement. There was nothing behind her.

The apothecary was a dusty place. There were probably things on the shelves that the owner himself had forgotten about. He sat on a stool behind the counter, barely paying attention as she measured out sacks of dried ingredients. She paused as she opened the jar containing orange and red flowers. The brittle petals were shaped almost like fingers. The flowers were in good condition so she added a little extra to her bag.

As she set her bags on the counter, the old man got to his feet. He winced, hobbling over to weigh each of her sacks.

"Your joints?" asked Sakura. The man grunted. Sakura said nothing as she looked him over. She paid him. And as he handed over the change, Sakura decided what to say.

"Send your grandson sometime next week. I'll have a salve ready for you," Sakura promised him. His white mustache twitched.

"Money's a bit tight right now," he muttered.

"I'll be troubled if you close the store. Give me a discount on this witch hazel and I'll consider us even," Sakura declared. She lifted the jar and shook it a little. Enough for the dried flowers to rattle around inside. He squinted at her, stroking his mustache. She knew she'd won when his shoulders drooped.

"Thank you," the old man relented.

He threw in a bundle of dried sage with her other goods. Sakura pretended not to notice it. She would only embarrass him by thanking him.

Sakura walked out of the apothecary, pulling her hood over her head. She paused when she heard something like a whimper. When she hesitated at the door, the man hobbled over to peer out into the street. Sakura heard the noise again. She leaned around the corner of the building and spotted a figure slumped in the alley.

"These damn vagrants," the old man grumbled. But Sakura held her arm out to stop him. She lowered her hood before she took a few steps toward the figure. As she drew closer, she saw that her suspicions had been correct. It was the skinny little boy. He had stolen one of her red cloaks and draped it over his tattered clothes.

Sakura crouched in front of the boy.

"I told you not to touch anything,"

The boy's breathing was ragged. His face and chest were flushed under all the dirt.

"You know this brat?"

"Mmhm. You know, that apple jelly was supposed to be medicine for the lady who runs the orphanage. Those children are so picky. The apple masks the taste of the herbs. But it makes you sick unless you're sick already," Sakura told the boy. She rested her cheek in her palm.

Sakura let out a long sigh as she got to her feet. She dusted off the bottom of her cloak.

"Well, it's no concern of mine. I did warn him," she added.

The boy's eyes fluttered shut. Another whine left his lips. Everything ached and it was so hot and cold at the same time. The inside of his stomach burned like something was trying to claw its way out. Something rattled nearby. Hooves clattered against the cobblestone.

His eyes opened.

"This time, listen when I tell you not to touch anything," Sakura ordered, leaning over him. She gathered him into her arms, pulling the cloak tighter around him. She set him on the back of the cart, on top of some clean straw. And then she climbed into the front seat.

"Thank you, Minato," said Sakura.

The farmer flashed a smile. When he whistled, his old work horse lurched forward. "Not a problem, Miss. My boy's teething fever was driving us all insane. Can't thank you enough for your help," he replied.

"And your wife?" asked Sakura.

"Couldn't be better," came his cheerful reply.

They made idle talk as the cart rumbled out of the town, out toward the forest. The wooden wheels bumped along the dirt path. Sakura glanced back every once in a while to check on the boy. When she touched his cheek, it was alarmingly hot.

"The boy?" Minato queried, also looking over his shoulder.

"A stray. He followed me home and caused some trouble. It doesn't feel right to let him die on the street," she replied.

Minato took them to the gate that separated her home from the forest. He jolted when the lanterns lining the path lit up all at once. She got off the wagon and he twisted around to watch her.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

She had no trouble lifting the boy in her arms. He weighed much less than he should have.

The kitchen came to life when she stepped inside. Cups and plates swirling around. Pie dough flying from the ice box to roll itself out on the counter. She crossed the kitchen, moving to the pantry. The door swung open. The broom nudged its way ahead of her, sweeping out any cobwebs and stray bits of dust before she stepped inside.

* * *

The boy started when something cold touched his face. He slapped the hand away. Only, there was no hand. Just a wet cloth hovering above him. He bolted upright, scrambling away from the levitating piece of fabric. He winced when his head knocked against the wall.

"Oh, you're awake."

He swiveled his head. The woman stood in the doorway. A book hovered beside her. She cast him a bored look over her shoulder before she turned back to the book. She flicked her wrist and the wet cloth smacked against his forehead, resting there. She carried a long pipe in the other hand. Smoke rose from the tip of it, earthy and a little sharp.

"Your fever's gone down, but not enough. Drink some of this and go back to sleep," she ordered. She waved her pipe. A cup zoomed into the room. It jolted to a stop just in front of him. She wiggled her fingers. A transparent, slightly green liquid poured into the cup from thin air. Steam rose from the surface of the drink.

"Don't touch anything, boy," she warned before she turned and stepped out of the room.

He waited a while, listening to her footsteps creak away. Slowly, he reached over. Turned the doorknob. The door swung open, but the broom stood waiting there. It gave a few angry sweeps towards him. He yanked the door shut.

The door creaked open in the morning. He scooted back into the corner, wrapping the red cloak around his body. Light seeped into the little closet.

"Oh, good. You survived the night," came the woman's flat voice. And then another cup of bitter tea flew towards him.

"Drink this," she ordered. He could hear her walking around just outside the door. Something made clinking noises. As he inhaled, he recognized the fragrance of meat cooking. Juicy, red meat. Not just the watery soup with onions she had offered him the night before.

"I'm hungry," he croaked.

"Drink your medicine first," she answered. He could hear her tapping her spoon against the edge of a pot.

"I don't want to," he responded.

There was a pause. Her head appeared through the doorway. Her pipe dangled between her fingers. "Then you can leave," she told him. Her head disappeared, but the cup continued to float in front of him. He stared at it for a long time before he grasped the porcelain handle. He gulped the bitter liquid down.

As soon as the cup was empty, it flew from his grasp. A bowl materialized in its place, filled to the brim with stew. Tender chunks of beef and bright green carrot tops filled the bowl. He hesitated. A spoon appeared in his hand. He gobbled his meal down without another word.

He crawled back into the narrow bed, curling up on his side. He fell asleep with his stomach almost uncomfortably full.

He woke again in the dead of night. Wrapping the cloak around his shoulders, he eased off the narrow cot. The old floorboards creaked under his traitorous feet. Wincing, he stood still. Listening for something outside. The quiet outside was unsettling. Leaning against the handle, he eased the door open.

The kitchen wasn't empty like he'd hoped. The woman sat in a chair by the hearth. Her back was to him, but her head turned in his direction when he took a few shaky steps out of the pantry. Glass vials hovered above the sink. There was deep red liquid inside. As he drew closer, he could see that the vials were rotating bit by bit.

Blue smoke trickled from the end of her pipe.

"Go back to sleep, boy. Find somewhere else to stay in the morning," she said without looking at him.

He looked down at his feet. "I…I don't feel better yet. I think I'm still sick," he lied.

When he lifted his chin, she was looking over her shoulder at him. Her eyes gleamed in the darkness, the color of robin eggs. He flinched a little as her eyes narrowed.

"Hm… I see," she responded. And then she turned back toward the fire. "Then I suppose you'll have to stay a little longer."

* * *

In the morning, he emerged from the pantry, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. She stood at the sink, a black robe tied at her waist. A piece of paper hovered in front of her.

She didn't greet him. But she swished her finger and one of the chairs at the kitchen table pushed back. A plate sat waiting for him, piled high with potatoes and fried eggs. He hesitated, eyes filled with longing as the fragrance of the food wafted over to him. And then he looked at the woman again. She swished her finger again. An invisible hand pushed him across the kitchen, plunking him down in the seat.

"Hm," the woman sighed. She rubbed her fingers together. The paper crumpled before throwing itself in the fireplace.

He gobbled down his breakfast as fast as he could without choking. He jolted when he looked up and realized that she was watching him. He ate a little faster, just in case she was about to kick him out.

She was silent as he ate. When his plate was empty, she swiped her hand to the left. A basket unhooked itself from above the counter. It landed on the table just beside him.

"Hold out your hand," she ordered.

He did.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her begin to gesture. Fingers twisting together, like she was shaping something out of thin air. Something began to glow in his palm. It was a little mushroom. When he tried to grasp it, his fingers passed right through it. And when he turned his hand over, it disappeared. As soon as his palm faced up, the mushroom appeared again.

"Go out into the woods behind the house. Fill that basket with as many of those as you can find," she instructed him. She pointed to show him where.

He stared down at the mushroom. Let his fingers squeeze through the specter again.

"No."

"Then you can leave," she replied, turning away from him. She waved her hand. A book flew off the mantle, opening up to a page towards the end. She continued to swish her arms, like she was the conductor of a grand orchestra. Dried herbs and dusty vials drifted off of shelves, dancing their way to her.

She didn't look at him again.

He grabbed the basket and walked out the back door. It slammed shut behind him.

He stomped his way down the damp forest path. The mud squished between his toes. His breath puffed out in front of him in the misty morning. When he looked over his shoulder, he could see the strange house shrouded in the same fog. The windows glowing with warmth, smoke rising from the brick chimney.

He plucked a couple mushrooms and threw them into the basket before he made his way back to the house. But for some odd reason, no matter how far he walked, the house didn't seem any closer. He tried moving to the left and right, but the house stayed the same distance away. Just close enough that he could make out the shape of a woman in the window.

His hand tingled. He turned it over. The mushroom appeared in his palm, glowing just a little brighter. When he looked up, he thought he saw the woman smirking in the window.

Huffing, he turned around to head deeper in the woods. It took a few hours to fill the basket with the mushrooms. But this time, when he moved in the direction of the house, it drew closer and closer. The back door swung open as he approached.

The basket flew from his fingers as he stepped into the kitchen.

"You hexed me," he accused, pointing at her. A smirk curled her lips.

"If you don't like it, you can leave," she retorted. She drew a circle with her pointer finger. And the basket of mushrooms spun.

The following morning, she sent him out with pail to draw water from a waterfall. Through the woods, inside a dark cave. Even though plenty of water flowed from the kitchen sink.

The next day, she sent him up to the roof to feed the crows that had gathered there.

"Go chop firewood," the woman commanded the day after.

"You don't need more. I'm tired," he complained.

"Then you can leave," was the only response she gave whenever he refused her tasks.

Every couple days, she remarked, "If you're feeling better, you should find somewhere else to stay in the morning."

Even though he went to bed aching from all the work she made him do, he came up with excuses. He still felt weak, his stomach hurt. He invented a new ailment each time. And she always replied, "Then I suppose you'll have to stay a little longer."

It was only after almost a week of staying there that he thought to ask, "Who are you anyway?"

The woman was busy grinding herbs with a mortar and pestle. She gestured with her chin. A bottle of gold liquid drifted off the counter. The cork popped out before the jar tilted, dribbling the contents into the mixture.

"You already know. I'm the bad witch who lives in the woods," she answered.

He watched as she added some of the bright yellow flowers he had picked from the greenhouse. To his surprise, the mixture turned red when the petals began releasing their juices.

"What're you making anyway?" he then asked.

"A sleeping draught," she told him.

She added a handful of dried purple flowers. The buds crunched under the stone pestle.

"Sakura," she suddenly said.

He stared at her. When she looked up at him, a smile flickered across her face. "You can call me Sakura. That's what I go by nowadays."

"I'm Itachi," he mumbled.

He didn't know whether she had heard him or not. Because even after that day, she continued to call him "boy". Her call carrying out of the kitchen, sending him to dig up tubers in the woods or to pluck the wings off dead dragonflies.

* * *

People came to request things from Sakura. That was how she made her money. She met them in the parlor of her home, the hood of her red cloak pulled over her face. She had him make the customers tea. Itachi overhead bits and pieces of all sorts of problems. A woman who couldn't have a child, a man who suffered from headaches. They all came to Sakura with their ailments and woes. She listened to all these things, silent as she deliberated.

"Boy. I need five mandrake roots," Sakura called as Itachi walked into the kitchen. He set down the bucket filled with water. She had sent him to the waterfall three times that day alone. He heaved a sigh, crouching beside the bucket. The skin on his palms was raw and red. She looked up from her spell book.

"Boy."

"It's late," he protested. But he already knew what she was going to say.

"Then you can le-"

He was out the door before she could finish the sentence.

At least the mandrakes grew in the greenhouse. He didn't have to venture into the woods again. Pulling on leather gloves, he opened up the door to the greenhouse. Despite the cool weather, it was warm and a little humid inside this place.

Mandrake flowers were purple. Itachi was careful not to damage them as he seized the plant by the stem and pulled them from the soil. The roots were long and pale, almost like bizarre, hairy legs. He harvested five and gathered them in his arms. Sweat beaded above his upper lip and at his temples. He didn't understand why she insisted on getting them now when they would still be there in the morning.

Grumbling, he got to his feet. He was careful to close the greenhouse door behind him. As he crossed the yard, a cool wind began to blow. The back of his neck tingled. Dread pooled in his gut as he recognized the sensation.

When he lifted his chin, he saw that the clouds had parted. Watery moonlight peeking through. The plants tumbled from his arms.

"Boy, the mandrakes!" Sakura's voice drifted out from the house.

Itachi scrambled to gather the mandrakes again. One had rolled down the path. He grabbed it just as the door opened.

"What are you doing?"

His head whipped around. And then he began looking for a hiding spot. Anywhere so that she wouldn't see him. He just had to find somewhere that the moonlight couldn't touch.

She stepped outside, a lantern held in one hand.

"Boy?"

Itachi froze. And she did too.

The lantern bathed the side of her face in orange light. And it was just enough to illuminate him too. To highlight the sharp teeth and the horns growing from his temples. He knew that his eyes glowed bright red in the darkness. He had seen the reflection many times, on the nights when he had forgotten to draw his curtains before the moon rose.

She reached for him. A snarl escaped his lips.

"I haven't seen a tiefling in a long time," she remarked.

Tieflings weren't quite human. All it took was drop of demon blood somewhere up the ancestral tree. Sometimes families went generations without showing any signs of this influence. It was just every once in a while that tieflings were born. Monstrous things with tails and fangs. Horrific to behold. Many were smothered in their cribs to spare their parents the disgrace.

"It looks like someone tried to mask your appearance. Probably some half-wit wizard," Sakura observed. "They should've used a more robust spell if they wanted it to last under moonlight."

Itachi waited for the disgust. For her fists to strike him as she called him a beast. Her shrieks of terror and rage as she drove him far from her home.

"Bring those mandrakes inside. I want to finish this potion tonight," she told him.

She slipped back into the house, taking the lantern with her. Itachi waited several seconds, wondering if he had misheard her. And when he took a couple steps toward the door, it swung open a little wider.

He stood in the doorway, heart racing. He watched Sakura spin her finger. A knife danced through the air, peeling an apple in one deft movement.

"Wash those in the sink," she told him without looking up.

He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"…You…you'll let me stay here?" he asked.

"Not if you don't wash those mandrakes," she answered.


	7. Contralto (2 of 2)

**title** Contralto (2/2)  
**summary** _Everything passes.__  
_**pairing **itasaku

* * *

"Did you weed the garden?" her voice floated down the stairs.

"I did it yesterday," Itachi called back up.

"Do it today. Or I'll make you sleep outside." And though she didn't raise her voice, he knew that she wasn't joking. Sighing, Itachi got to his feet.

Back sore and fingernails crusted with dirt, he walked back into the house a couple hours later. The broom gave him a few irritable swats as he tracked dirt inside. But he had learned to ignore it. Sakura stood in the kitchen, one hand waving as she read a letter. Her hair was twisted up, her wand stabbed through it to keep it in place.

The spoon in the cauldron mimicked the stirring motion of her hand. But it kept going even when her hand stilled.

"What's that?" Itachi asked.

"A letter," she retorted. When he glared, she peered over the paper to smirk at him.

"It's an invitation from a local coven," she told him. She flicked her wrist. The paper sailed directly into the fireplace.

"As if I haven't turned them down a dozen times already."

"Why don't you have a coven? Aren't you supposed to be in one?" Itachi thought to ask.

It had been a couple years since she had stopped telling him to find somewhere else to live. And he had learned to ask questions. Because no matter how she rolled her eyes and snapped at him, she always had an answer for even the most aggravating queries.

She blinked several times. With a wave of her hand, she set the spell book down on the counter. She settled on her stool, rearranging her skirt around her legs. One of her spell books flew off the shelf above the fireplace and settled in her lap.

It was one of the few times he ever saw her hesitate before speaking.

"...It's not worth getting mixed up with other people," she stated.

"But I'm other people," Itachi pointed out.

The corners of her mouth pulled up as she flipped through the pages of her book. Her eyes flickered up to him. Just for a moment.

"No you're not," she told him.

The following morning, Sakura opened up a kitchen drawer. She noticed a fork that hadn't been there before. One made of silver with the handle shaped into an owl at the end. It was from the set that had gone missing when Itachi had first rifled through her kitchen and taken off. They hadn't been a particularly expensive set, but how was a child to know that? Shiny meant money in a little boy's eyes. Especially a poor one desperate to survive.

She had thought that Itachi had pawned them all off already, which was why she had never asked for them back.

She said nothing about it as she shut the drawer.

* * *

Sometimes, only rarely, there were clients that Sakura refused to serve.

The first time Itachi witnessed this, it was as he washed the windows on the outside of the house. He kept the windows cracked whenever she kicked him out like this. So that he could eavesdrop on the conversation inside.

The client this time was young. No older than 20. And he dropped a pouch stuffed with gold on the table between them before he spoke.

"I need a love potion."

"Impossible," Sakura replied as soon as he had finished speaking.

"But this is a year's salary!" he insisted, pushing the gold closer to her. Sakura barely glanced at it.

"I can reveal hidden emotions. I can make you more noticeable in her eyes. But I cannot create love where there is none," she explained.

"Then can you at least hypnotize her?"

"Get out," Sakura ordered. She lowered her cup into the matching saucer. When she looked up, the man was still sitting there, looking more bewildered than offended.

"You can't create love where there is none. And forcing someone to love you through hypnosis is rape. Now get out before I turn you into a toad," Sakura snapped. As she spoke, her magic wand rose from the table beside he, making slashing motions through the air. Red sparks sprayed from the tip of it.

The man scrambled to his feet, knocking his tea over as he hurried to the door with what little dignity he could muster. He toppled over when Sakura gave an impatient wave of her hand, sending his forgotten gold smashing into the back of his knee. He tumbled over the threshold, out the door.

Later as Itachi knelt mopping up the tea, he glanced up at Sakura. She hadn't moved from the sofa. She waved circles into the air, juggling several cubes of sugar in dizzying patterns.

"Could you?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"Could you hypnotize someone into falling in love?" Itachi questioned.

Her upper lip curled. "The human mind is a stubborn thing, boy. It can only be fooled for so long," Sakura replied. And then her expression softened. Until she looked almost sad.

"Besides, magic is meant to create wonder and beauty. It shouldn't be used for something so cruel," she added. When she looked down at him, he had stopped scrubbing the carpet.

"When you're done with that, go pick some wolfsbane," she then ordered in her normal voice. Bossy and brusque as usual.

The following morning, she opened up her kitchen drawer. There was a spoon there that hadn't been there before. Her eyes barely acknowledged it before she shut the drawer again.

* * *

Around the time of the full moon, the boy always grew irritable. He was particularly reluctant to go out and do anything outdoors. And while Sakura was maybe a touch more patient with him on these nights, she still kept him busy.

"You know," she began out one evening as they stood in a pumpkin patch. Well, he stood. She sat on her broom, hovering a few feet off the ground.

"I could break that half-baked spell. So you'd look like this all the time. You'd be normal," she informed him. She could guess what had happened. His terrified parents had paid someone to hide his true form. But suppressing even a drop of demon blood was tricky. It wasn't as simple as hiding a wonky nose or crooked teeth.

He stood upright, hands releasing the stubborn vine that refused to break in his grip. In the moonlight, his horns gleamed a ruddy, brown-red. His red eyes blinked hard at her.

"_Normal_?" he repeated. "You're crazy," he added in a mutter. He bent over again, seizing the vine in both his hands.

He had grown a little taller since she had first taken him in. There were thirteen rings to his horns instead of eight. They had begun to curve a little as they grew.

"Yes. Like a normal tiefling," she repeated, tilting her head to one side.

He inched his hand lower to the ground, yanking at the vine. His tail swished back and forth as he pulled. Heels digging into the ground.

"Damn this pumpkin!" he growled, releasing the vine. He rubbed his palms together.

"As far as tieflings go, you don't appear as monstrous as you think. You could almost pass for human if not for the horns," she observed.

Itachi whirled to face her, hands clenched into fists. "Stop talking about it! I already know that I'm a freak! You don't need to keep reminding me every damn time!" he snapped.

She stared at him. Watching his little shoulders tense as he turned his back to her again. When he went very quiet, she knew that he was crying. Which he only did alone in his little room at night, the door locked. But the tiny sniffs drifted up through the old floorboards. And sometimes she could hear him as she lay in her own bed.

Sakura flicked her wrist. The pumpkin vine snapped apart. She raised her palm and the pumpkin rose with it. Itachi wrapped his arms around it, still not looking at her.

She got off her broom, feet touching the damp ground. Shaking out her cloak, she started back in the direction of the house. Paused.

"Boy," she said, staring straight ahead. "I'm much older than I appear. The years have made me wiser, but they've also made it difficult for me to remember how easily the heart is wounded," she sighed, rubbing her hand through her hair. When she glanced over her shoulder, he was glaring at her. Those round red eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"You look like this because one of your ancestors lusted after a demon. It's not your fault," she concluded.

She almost expected him to stay there. Because he didn't say anything to her. But when she peeked back, he was trailing her steps through the woods, rubbing his nose with his sleeve as he stared at the ground.

A few days later, several more pieces of her missing silverware turned up. Sakura almost smiled as she watched him run into the greenhouse with a bucket of water.

* * *

Sakura forgot how quickly human children grew. It startled her how as soon as she conjured up clothes for the boy, he outgrew them again. Limbs lengthening, shoulders growing wide. The roundness of his face narrowing into something a little less sullen with each passing day.

She stopped in the middle of a sentence one day when she realized that she had to look up at him to speak. He wrinkled his nose as she stared at him.

"What?" he demanded, looking down at his shirt to check for stains. She didn't respond. But she took to speaking to him from the top of the steps when she gave orders.

He stopped whining when she sent him into the woods for pixie dust. And he no longer grumbled at night that his legs hurt or that his fingers were blistered. His arms grew strong and the callouses on his palms were rough when he asked her to remove splinters. Sometimes, on the windiest, coldest nights, he would creep out of his little room in the pantry and lay his head in her lap. Eyes drifting shut as she leafed through the crinkled pages of her spell books.

She watched those rings on his horns grow and grow. As the winter frosts melted and life sprang from the ground. As the bees hummed drunkenly around the greenhouse, limbs heavy with pollen. And she started to see a new look in his eyes that she pretended not to understand.

She tied her robe a little more carefully. Laced the front of her dresses up higher. She stopped using the lavender-scented cream on her hands that he loved so much. But that didn't stop him from resting his head in her lap, asking her in a sleep-slurred voice to pet his head. Her fingers tangling in his thick, dark hair and tracing the multiplying ridges of his horns.

Sometimes, he opened his eyes. Irises gleaming like rubies in the moonlight as he stared up at her.

On one of those nights, the smell of sage burning in the air, he opened his mouth too. To ask: "Why did you let me stay?"

She pretended to read the spell book hovering in front of her. As the crickets sang a reedy chorus outside.

"I didn't let you stay. You just didn't bother to leave," she replied.

* * *

She remembered when people first settled the town. They settled along the banks of the gentle river. Hauling up stones and mud to build their homes. Felling trees and filling the air with chatter.

The first men and women who had raised those buildings grew grey and brittle. In their place, their children grew tall and strong. And they had children of their own in turn. The generations had always blurred past without her paying much notice. She had never paid much attention to birthday celebrations or deaths. Because soon, each person would be replaced by someone equally unremarkable.

Sakura didn't remember when Itachi began calling the first day of winter her birthday.

"This is pointless," she told him the first time he presented her with a lumpy, slightly-charred cake.

But she hadn't stopped him as he swept her spell books and vials aside a year later. Making room on the counter for eggs and flour.

Every year, the cake grew a little more symmetrical, a little less burnt. Soon he was using fruit and frosting to decorate it. And, amused, she obliged him when he demanded that she blow out the candles.

"How old are you really?" Itachi asked one year as he carved her a big hunk of cake. There were apples and cinnamon in it this year.

A smile touched the corner of her mouth as she took the plate. "There isn't a cake big enough to fit the number of candles you'd need, boy," she told him.

"100? 200?" he guessed. He handed her a fork.

"I've lived long enough to know that birthdays don't matter," was all she said. But he just rolled his eyes.

"You say that every year," he pointed out. But the smile returned to his face as he watched her finish every little crumb of her slice.

But she was telling the truth when she said that the number of years she had lived didn't really matter. Because no matter how old she grew. No matter how many times she purified dew on the winter solstice, she knew that there was an end to all things.

Sakura had sensed it brewing for quite some time. And it came to fruition when an old acquaintance brought her a strange little curse. He had spent many months trying to solve it. And while she wasn't particularly interested in helping him, she did enjoy riddles. They spent several nights in the kitchen, poring over her old books and scribbling notes onto bits of parchment. He didn't pack his things until almost a week later. His shriveled and blackened hand was beginning to regain color even as he crossed the threshold to leave.

During the week, the boy had made himself scarce. She had put him to work, gathering roots and snipping herbs from the garden. She even made him scale the cliffs to retrieve spider silk to bind the potion together. And while Itachi had done all these things without complaint, he had spent the rest of his time cooped up in the greenhouse or in his room.

As their guest left, he slunk out of his room. His tail swished back and forth, slapping the cabinet doors and drawer shut as he passed.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the counter.

Sakura turned to look. It was a crystal rose. The stem looked normal, but the clear petals on top were made of crystallized pixie dust. It took a good grasp of transmutation spells to be able to hold the dust in such a stable form. Sakura held it up to her eye to examine the angles in the crystals. Her eyebrows rose.

"How pretty," she remarked. She looked at Itachi who was now staring into the fireplace. Like he was trying to ignore her.

"What're you sulking for?"

"He likes you," Itachi pointed out.

"Oh, I know. He has for quite some time. He comes up with excuses to see me every now and then," she responded. His mouth puckered.

"I... don't like him being around," he ground out.

"You're such a child," Sakura sighed.

"I'm not. I'm 19," Itachi retorted, hands fisted at his sides. She scoffed.

"Even that response tells me that you're still a child. If you're going to be so unpleasant, you can go," she snapped in return. It had been years since she had said anything like that to him. And his shoulders tensed, rising close to his ears as they had done for years. She already knew he was crying before he whirled to face her.

"I'm a man now! I'm taller than you and I'm stronger than you! And you still treat me like I'm a kid!" he yelled.

And Sakura wasn't taken aback. Nor was she frightened. All she did was let out a tired sort of sigh. He didn't wait for her to give any sort of response because he went on.

"And honestly, why're you still acting like you want to get rid of me when you let me stay for all these years?"

"I already told you, boy. It's not that I let you stay. You just didn't bother to leave."

"Stop lying!" he retorted. "I know you let me sleep close to the fire so I wouldn't be scared of the dark. I know you made me weed the greenhouse so I would learn what each plant looks like."

She didn't look at him.

"You made me carry things so I'd become strong. And you taught me to read and write when you sent me on errands."

"So what?" she replied. Trying to act like she didn't see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why do you act like you don't care about me when you do?" he demanded. "Why do you always act like you don't know that I love you?"

Laughing softly, she shook her head. "How do you expect me to answer to a child's love confession?"

"I'm not a child! I'm a man now!" he insisted.

Smile fading, she lifted her chin to look right at him. Through him. A shiver ran through him as something in her gaze darkened. The ages bled into her voice. Something ancient and powerful. "I've lived through centuries. I've seen the rise and fall of empires. You are but a petulant _child_."

Because magic played tricks with time. If her life was an hourglass, magic slowed the drop of each grain of sand, twisting and lengthening the descent it until it almost seemed that the sand wasn't falling at all.

And then her voice returned to normal as she turned away from him.

"If you don't like it, you can leave," she told him. Folding her arms across her chest, she left the kitchen, heading upstairs to her room. She locked the door behind her, trying not to hear his sniffles drifting up through the floorboards.

When she woke, the little pantry was empty. Sheets folded. Floor dusted. Like no one had ever been there in the first place.

* * *

The sun rose and fell. The moon shone its round face, withering away and growing over and over again. The leaves fell in autumn, coating the forest floor in crackling orange. Snow came to bury it all. And in the spring, shoots of green poked out between cracks in the ice.

As the years went on, Sakura began to hear rumors of a great sorcerer in the west. One who summoned rain and lightning with a single incantation.

And as the townsfolk relayed these rumors, Sakura continued grinding the herbs in her mortar. Pestle grating against the stone, matching the tempo of those words. Customers came to request their tinctures and salves. Gold clinking into her hand as they hurried in and out.

"They say he's a demon," Naruto whispered as he collected the salve for his elderly father's aching joints. Naruto was a father himself now. He kept his son strapped to his chest as he drove his wagon in and out of the market. The boy had round blue eyes and knew better than to reach for Sakura. He sucked on the front of his father's shirt, staring at her.

"How little I care," sighed Sakura, clinking the coins together in her palm.

There came a day when Naruto was gone. It was his son who came to request from her now. The years bleeding into each other, like ink spilling across the paper.

Rumors of the sorcerer grew stranger and stranger. How he pulled lava from the earth and brewed great storms that spanned across many towns. His golems rose from the valleys, lugging great boulders up the side of a mountain to build his fortress. It loomed on the horizon, dragons flitting in and out of its windows and filling the summer nights with their haunting calls.

And then, one day, someone rang the silver bell outside her door. She gave a careless flick of her hand, shoving it open before she even left the kitchen. But as she crossed the living room, the hairs on the back of her neck rose. Like the entire place was filling with electricity. It tingled her skin with each step she took toward the threshold.

He lowered his hood. The years had carved away at that soft, child's face. Revealing something a little less kind underneath. From his temples extended great, spiraling horns like those on a ram. But the way his shining blood-colored eyes followed her hadn't changed. A little anxious. And so eager to please.

"Who broke your spell?" she asked.

His tail swished out behind him. It was coated in barbs now. Gleaming black and sharp in the afternoon's dying sun.

"I did," he replied.

Drawing his hands inside his cloak, he pulled something shining and silver out. The ornate handle carved into the shape of an owl.

"Is your tantrum over now?" she asked, accepting the fork.

"I don't throw tantrums. I'm not a child anymore," he responded, the corner of his mouth pulling up.

She searched his eyes for a long time. Scrutinizing the way that he held her gaze.

"We'll see about that," she responded as she stepped aside to let him pass.


	8. At the Wisteria Tree

**title** At the Wisteria Tree  
**summary** _When the beginning **is** the end  
_**pairing** madasaku

* * *

"I would not have you see what I become."

She remembered the pain ripping through her chest. The anger and sorrow hot as it filled her throat. Her fingers curling into the front of his clothes as she sobbed.

"Forgive me, my love." His last whispered words to her carried her through the darkness of her dreams. Until she was buoyed up and up. Arms and legs limp as she broke the surface of those ever-cresting waves.

She gasped as she drank down the cool air for the first time. The moonlight that spilled in through the windows blinded her. She pressed her palm to her temple. As a high-pitched noise pierced through her ear. Just the one on the right side. And if she focused hard enough, she could almost make out the sound of a voice in it. But like all the other times, the pain faded. The sound fading with it.

An unfamiliar name lingered on the tip of her tongue. But the harder she tried to remember it, the more quickly it slipped from her mind.

Drawing her knees up to her chest, she took a deep breath.

Soon, she couldn't remember what had woken her in the first place. A bad dream? Maybe even a good one. Rubbing her hand along her cheek, she wondered why it came away wet with tears.

* * *

"You doing okay?"

A clipboard clattered onto the table. Dragging a hand through her hair, Sakura lifted her chin.

"Yeah, I'm good," she answered. She smiled when Ino reached out to pat her on the shoulder.

"Drinks after?" Ino suggested.

"Please. This project has been so stressful," she grumbled. Ino's hand gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah. The client's almost as picky as you," Ino teased. Sakura glared at her.

"Don't look at me like that. You're a nightmare when you want to be."

Squinting, Sakura considered that. And then she tilted her head before she gave a reluctant nod. "Okay, yeah. You're right."

"Cool. Now let's go get wasted," Ino declared. She slapped her palm against Sakura's before she pulled her out of the room, down the hall.

* * *

Sakura ran her hand down the craggy bark of the massive tree. When she reached up to touch the flowers, she thought she heard a whisper. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a shadow. It disappeared around the trunk.

"H...hello?" she called, tilting her head to follow the movement.

"Don't look!" a voice growled as hands whipped through the air to shield her eyes.

Sakura started but held still. The hands that covered her face were warm but rough. Slowly, she reached up to touch them, tracing her fingers up the wrists, tracing the jut of bony knuckles. She heard a sharp exhale behind her. And then, just as slowly, she traced the other way, past the wrist, over the cold metal of what felt like a bracelet. No. A... maybe a shackle? And then down the smooth fabric that whispered over itself.

"Does it still hurt?" she heard herself ask. Even though she had no idea what she was saying.

"Please, stop looking for me. I beg you, my love." He didn't answer her question.

"I'm not trying. I just keep finding you," she answered.

When Sakura blinked, she was staring at the ceiling of her studio apartment.

"Weird," was all she could think to say.

"What's weird?" asked Ino, standing in front of the microwave. She scratched her stomach as she watched her instant oatmeal slowly revolve.

"Uh..." Sakura said, rubbing her hands over her eyes. Tenting them over the bridge of her nose as she tried to think.

"Can't remember," she sighed.

* * *

On most days, Sakura could be found in her workshop. The temperature was the same whether it was winter or summer. Neat rows of glass bottles lined the walls with the white labels facing out.

The only thing that changed was the combination of fragrances that filled the room. And that all depended on the demands of that particular client.

Some days, Ino walked into what smelled like an orange grove. Other days, a woodsy, earthy smell drifted into her nose. Some scents were strong, others more subtle. And if she asked, Sakura could immediately rattle off a list of all the components that created each combination.

"What about Chanel No. 5?" Ino asked one night over Chinese food. Sakura finished slurping up a long noodle before she screwed up her face to think.

"Hm...Rose, obviously. Ylang-ylang. Jasmine. There's some sandalwood and patchouli in there. Vanilla, definitely," Sakura thought out loud.

Sakura could close her eyes and conjure up a thousand fragrances in her memory. She could even tell the difference between a synthetic and natural scent. She could identify the different brands of the perfumes and colognes of the men and women she passed on the street. Some were more pleasing than others. But there was just one smell she couldn't capture. No matter how much she mixed and stirred. No matter how many new samples she acquired.

It just wasn't the same.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes. She was blinded by the sight of those violet flowers again. Clustered so tightly together, dripping lovely and soft from sagging branches.

"Where are you?" she wondered.

Darkness fell over her eyes again as he covered them with his hand. She turned her head, the tip of her nose brushing against his wrist. It was a nostalgic scent. One that also managed to be sad, if a smell could carry sorrow.

"Why are you here again?" he sighed.

She felt a smile creep over her face. "Should I leave?"

She wasn't surprised when she felt his other hand tangle with hers. Fingers twisting together as naturally as if they'd done it hundreds- no, thousands of times before.

"I can't stand the thought of you all alone in this place," she said. The words felt familiar even as they left her mouth.

"I would not have you see what I become," he whispered. And somehow, those words were even more familiar. They filled her with a strange, twisting feeling.

"You always do this. You know it won't last," she sighed.

And she was awake again. Blinking against the sunlight. Wondering why, for just a moment, why everything around her seemed tinged with soft purple and the fragrance of something sweet.

* * *

"Wo-w." Temari drew out the syllable as Sakura sat down across from her. Sakura flipped her hair over her collar as she shed her coat. Temari reached out, making a grasping motion. Sakura handed over her arm, letting Temari lift her wrist up to her nose to sniff.

"That smells amazing," Temari declared. Beside her, her husband leaned over to get a whiff.

"Yowza," Shikamaru agreed, lifting his sunglasses on top of his head.

"Sell me a bottle of that," Temari requested.

Sakura picked up the menu. "This is still in development. You'll have to wait," Sakura told her as she flipped through the salads and pastas.

"Better yet, just come work for us. We'll pay double what Ino pays," Shikamaru suggested.

Temari slapped his arm. "We can't afford that. Don't lie to her," she scolded.

Despite being on the receiving end of a lecture, Shikamaru stared at Temari. Adoration shining in his eyes. His face so soft that Sakura almost felt embarrassed to see it. And it tugged at something in the back of her mind. Like a memory buried in a blind spot. No matter how hard she dug, she could never seem to find it.

* * *

That night, the silver-purple of the wisteria tree filled her dreams. Sakura closed her eyes.

"I won't peek," she assured him.

Stretching her arms out, she waited. Just the whisper of the tree branches swaying in a non-existent wind. And it occurred to her then, like it had all the times before, that it was silent here. No birds, no insects. Not even the cautious croak of a frog.

His hands slipped over her eyes. But when she twisted around, she felt his hands go limp. She pressed her face against his chest instead, listening to the thunder of his heart. Taking in that smell again that she could never remember outside of these dreams. She gripped the back of his shirt, suddenly a little angry.

"It's getting worse," she scolded him.

"Forgive me."

"You're such a fool," she sighed. Her hands tightened on his shirt. She felt his hands rest on her lower back, hugging her a little closer.

"_My_ fool," she then added.

His heartbeats grew heavier. More insistent. Beating like angry war drums.

"Please stop looking for me. I'm begging you, my love," he pleaded.

"No," she answered, almost smiling. "Never, ever."

* * *

It started as little things. Just a slight ringing in her ears. The doctor assured her that it was due to stress and recommended melatonin to help her sleep at night.

But the strangest thing was that she could almost hear something in that ringing. Muffled and smothered deep somewhere in that noise. A voice that she would know anywhere yet could not remember. And more than that, there was a strange fragrance that haunted her. No matter how much she experimented, she could never get it quite right.

All fragrances had a combination. Mossy, earthy, floral, fruity. All it took was the right number of drops to evoke a memory or a place. Vanilla and fruit mixed with almond brought in the memories of homemade cookies. Rose and sandalwood made people remember their mothers putting on their makeup in the morning.

"I don't get it. What's wrong with this? It smells great," Ino said, lifting the dropper to her nose.

"It's not right," Sakura mumbled. She rubbed her hands over her face, letting out a sigh.

"What's it supposed to smell like?" Ino asked. And Sakura knew that she was just trying to be helpful.

"I... I don't know. I can't remember," Sakura admitted as the ringing returned to her right ear. Just high-pitched enough to make her wince.

* * *

"Do you remember?" she asked him. She didn't even remember the beginning of the conversation. But she was wrapped up in his arms again. The wisterias brushing against her cheek and hair. The heavens and all the stars blocked by the fluffy petals that sagged down to the ground.

"Of course I do," he answered. His voice was filled with so much pain. She knew it was her fault, but she wasn't sorry.

"You can't avoid it forever," she warned him.

His arms tightened around her. She felt his chest hitch. It felt hot against her cheek. His fragrance filled her nose and her mouth. Swept down her throat, expanding her lungs.

"I can fix this. If only I had more time. I can... I can..." he whispered.

Her chest ached at the brokenness of every syllable he spoke. This was not him. This was not how he was supposed to be.

"I'll find you soon, my love. Wait for me," she promised.

When she opened her eyes, again, Sakura found them overflowing with tears. Her hands grasping at thin air.

* * *

"Ouch!"

"You alright?" Ino asked, looking up from her files. She found Sakura standing at her work station, her left hand twisted around her thumb. The rose she had been working with lay abandoned on the counter. Bright red droplets oozed up from the gouge the thorn had left in her skin. The ringing rising and rising, filling her ears, piercing her head with the pain of the whispers that rose with fervor.

Ino plucked some tissues out of the box as she walked over to her. But when she handed them to Sakura, there was no reaction.

"Hey. Sak," Ino said, waving the tissues a little.

"Of course," muttered Sakura.

"Huh?"

"It was... this. This was missing," Sakura whispered. Her eyes fixed on the blood that flowed from her finger now. It dripped onto the counter. Onto the bright green stem of the guilty rose.

And the smell of the blood filled each of her breaths. She closed her eyes. She could see the fluffy wisteria waving in the breeze. The way the petals seemed to glow with ethereal light. And the shape of his lonely silhouette standing under that tree. Waiting for her.

The scents combined all at once. Earth, bark, rain, wisteria.

And blood.

She opened her mouth to call the name she could now remember. The name that had been hiding in those whispers all this time.

"Madara."

"Sakura, what are you-"

Before Ino could finish her question, Sakura was enveloped in golden tendrils of light. And then she was gone.

* * *

The gate to the Well of Souls was locked. As it had always been.

Somehow, she knew that she was right on time.

Sakura held her hand up. The bars of the gate buckled, crumpling inwards. They twisted until the chains binding them snapped, sparks flying. And after she stepped through, the bars righted themselves. The links of the chains coming together, like they had never parted in the first place. With each step, the darkness receded. Crawling away from each of her footsteps, as if fleeing her presence.

Up ahead, she could see the glow of the wisteria tree. Ancient and young all at once. The blossoms never withering, petals falling and scattering only to rise back up to their places. The branches swaying in a silent wind.

"Madara."

The curtain of the wisteria parted for him. He peered out at her past the glowing flowers. The golden manacles on his wrists jangling together with each of his movements. Dark movements fluttered behind him.

"I _begged_ you not to look for me. Why are you here?" he spat. Face contorting as the chains on his ankles jerked him back when he strayed too far from the tree.

"Have I ever listened to you before?" she laughed, taking a step toward him instead. He retreated back under the cover of the wisteria tree. Eyes the color of blazing flames as he turned them away from her.

"It was said long ago, Madara," she went on as she ducked past the flowers. He stood with his back to her.

"When the serpent who guards the Well of Souls breaks free from his chains, it is the beginning of the end," she recited. She drew closer. When her hand touched his shoulder, Madara flinched away from her. She grabbed him by the chain instead. The gold felt cold against her palm.

"As he breaks his bonds, the serpent will shake the foundations of the world tree. He brings forth calamity. The sun will descend to the lower levels of the underworld. The moon and the stars turn their faces from the world in pity of its destruction."

Madara finally looked at her when she touched his cheek. His eyes too bright.

"It's time to go free, Madara," she told him.

"I didn't want you to be here," he spat. Teeth gleaming white and sharp as his lips pulled back.

"Why?"

"I'm the monster that destroys the world," he hissed.

A smile softened her face. She cupped his face in her hands, laughing a little at how he stooped so that she could reach.

"And I'm the monster that frees you," she reminded him. She drew him in for a kiss. Lips lingering and soft. The fragrance of the wisteria unbearably sweet.

"You love this world," Madara mumbled against her mouth.

Eyes still closed, she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck.

"The beginning and the end are one in the same, my love," Sakura assured him. She kissed him one last time before she let her hands slide down his shoulders, trailing down his arms, to his wrists. The manacles melted under her touch. The gold dripping down his wrists and fingers. The chains around his ankles dissolved just as quickly.

Then the world erupted in flames. The wisteria tree blackening and crackling as the heat engulfed it. The bark splintered as the delicate purple flowers dissolved into soot. He razed and he thrashed. A howl ripping through his throat as he watched the world crumble all around him. All the while, the flames burned hotter and hotter, blackening the mountains as they sunk into the seas along with the sun.

And when the flames had finally died down. When all was silent. He heard the footsteps crackling through the soft blanket of ash that had descended on the barren world.

Madara lay huddled on his side. HIs throat raw, his limbs heavy.

"Is it done?" he asked, needlessly.

"Yes," Sakura answered, just as needlessly.

She lay down in the ash beside him. Resplendent and smiling as she laid her hand over his cheek.

"You can rest now, my love. You've done so well," she murmured. Despite the weariness that weighed his limbs down, Madara moved his head, his forehead touching hers. Tears spilling from his eyes as he finally let them close.

"This time, we'll make something beautiful," he promised her.

"We always do," she answered.

* * *

"You know, legends say that the world is made from the bodies of the gods," Ino remarked. Sakura looked up from her book, blinking.

"What?"

"Yeah. According to the myth, the oceans come from their blood, the mountains from their bones. And according to one myth, the world is reborn every millennium. How crazy is that!" Ino laughed at the absurdity of it all.

Sakura turned her head to look out the window. For a moment, she saw long branches dripping with purple flowers. When she blinked, they were gone. A soft ringing in her ears echoed faintly. Carrying a whisper of something that she couldn't quite understand.

"...yeah... How weird," Sakura mused, chin in her hand.


	9. Red Thread

**title** Red Thread  
**summary** _You just really get me._  
**pairing** Itasaku

I.

Four drops of water raced down the window pane. He leaned against it, staring out at the street below. When he pulled away, his fingerprints had smeared onto the glass. Teeth clenching around his pen, he swiveled away. His chair squeaked. He stared at the numbers on his computer screen. The cursor blinked endlessly at the end of the last word he had typed.

"Fucking shit. S'gonna rain," Hidan grumbled from his desk. He turned away from the window too.

"I'm going out for a smoke before it does," Kakuzu said, already pulling his jacket off the back of his chair. He tugged his mask down, the elastic loops stretching from behind his ears. Hidan's glare followed him all the way out.

"He's had 'allergies' for like a month now. He ever think it's because he smokes a pack a day?" Hidan muttered.

"Good. Hope the both of you die," declared Kisame, leaning back in his chair.

"Detective," reprimanded Itachi without looking up.

"I'm not sorry, Itachi. Those two committed an unforgivable sin. I hope Jashin strikes them both with lightning," Kisame huffed. He got out of his seat with his mug.

"Dumbass. Jashin doesn't do lightning. It's more severing heads," snickered Hidan. Kisame grabbed the warm carafe, shaking his head.

"Good. Even better. Hope he cuts off your head and then hits you with lightning," amended Kisame.

"All we did was eat your ice cream. When are you going to let that go, man?" Hidan said under his breath.

"When you buy me more Chunky Monkey!" Kisame yelled back.

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. As Hidan and Kisame continued to bicker, he found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. He accidentally wrote the word "chunky" in his report instead of "suspect". Bashing the backspace button, he tried again. This time he wrote the word "ass-douche" as Hidan shouted the insult.

First, his umbrella had broken in a particularly strong gust of wind. Then one of the beat cops had mislabeled some evidence and nearly gotten a conviction thrown out. And then his favorite coffee shop had run out of banana nut muffins and he had had to settle for lemon poppy seed. Now two of his detectives were screaming at each other like children. The irritation began building up inside Itachi's skull like steam in a pressure cooker.

"Well why wouldn't you put your name on it?"

"I'm the only one who eats Chunky Monkey, Hidan. You don't even like bananas. Also why would you eat anything that isn't yours anyway?"

"Well maybe if you didn't hog the whole fridge with your protein drinks, I'd have room to bring in my own food!"

"How does that have anything to do with my Chunky Monkey?"

"You're a chunky monkey!"

Banging his palms down on his desk, Itachi stood.

"That's enough, you two! I'm sick of hearing about this damn Chunky Monkey!" he shouted over the noise. And in the dead silence that followed, someone cleared their throat.

"Uh…Sergeant. There's someone here to see you?"

Itachi opened his eyes to see one of the beat cops standing by his desk. The same one who had nearly destroyed his triple homicide. Itachi narrowed his eyes until he realized that a woman stood with him. She looked at him and then her eyes went wide. She quickly averted her gaze. The officer coughed. He didn't seem to know where to look.

"Uh, this is Miss Haruno. She's the witness of that ATM robbery from yesterday," he explained. Nodding to the woman, he quietly made his way out of the bullpen and to the elevator.

Itachi quickly pulled out a chair so that she could sit facing his desk. When he gestured to the seat, she sank into it, her expression strangely unreadable. Which was odd, because the sergeant prided himself on being able to read faces.

"Uh, Miss Haruno. I'm very sorry about that. My name is Sergeant Uchiha. We spoke on the phone this morning," Itachi stated. She nodded, looking around the room. She tapped her nail against the armrest; it was the color of cherries.

"Yes, although, you made fewer mentions of Chunky Monkey," she pointed out. Itachi cringed. But when she turned back to him, she was smiling.

"I assume it's one of those situations where I came in at the worst possible point in the conversation," she asked. Itachi chuckled.

"You're pretty sharp."

* * *

Hidan crouched behind Kisame's desk. They both peered out from behind his peace lily. Hidan glowered at the plant

"Can't. see, anything. Stupid. flower!" he hissed, smacking at the leaves with each syllable. Kisame shoved him with his shoulder.

"Hey! Lay off my peace lily! It purifies the air," Kisame whispered.

"Will the both of you shut up? I can't hear."

They both jumped. Kakuzu sat on the floor with him.

"When did you get back?" demanded Hidan.

"Shut up!" was all Kakuzu growled in return.

Heads clustered together like some alien plant, they attempted to eavesdrop on the pretty civilian speaking with the sergeant. She sat straight-backed, her short hair tucked behind both her ears.

Itachi asked a question. She laughed, head tilting to one side.

All three men sighed in unison.

"She's so pretty."

The three heads swiveled. Deidara sat in Kisame's chair. He lounged, a dreamy expression on his face.

"Deidara, what the hell. We're trying to be subtle!" Hidan spat.

"Yeah, three grown men squatting on the floor of a police station behind a ficus is subtle," he scoffed.

"It's a peace lily, damnit!" Kisame bellowed.

The sergeant and the civilian both turned to look at them.

"Ah, shit, Kisame," groaned Hidan. He stood.

"Good going, moron," Kakuzu agreed, also straightening.

With Itachi's glare on them, they slowly made their way back to their desks. They settled for sneaking glances at the witness until she eventually gathered her things and left. As soon as the elevator doors shut, they scrambled over to the sergeant's desk. They huddled around him while he did a good job of ignoring them.

"So, Sarge…what's her name?"

"How old is she? Do you know what she does?"

"Is she single?"

"Does she like peace lilies?" Hidan snickered, earning another shove from Kisame.

"Her name is… none of your business. Whether she's single is none of your business. And all of that is irrelevant to your jobs, which you should be doing right now," Itachi finally responded, still typing.

"Aw, come on, Sarge. We never get the hot witnesses. The last one I got was an 80 year-old woman who kept calling me 'Peaches'," groaned Deidara.

"Detectives. If you're still standing here by the time I finish typing this sentence, you're all losing overtime this week," stated Itachi. Rolling their eyes, they complained all the way back to their desks.

"Besides, we're never going to see her again. So quit wasting time and work on your cases," he added.

"Itachi sucks," Hidan muttered under his breath.

"I heard that, Hidan."

"Good. Now you know."

True to Itachi's prediction, he solved the case within the week. He didn't have to call the pretty witness in again. And with another case closed, he typed up a new report.

* * *

II.

At 8, he clocked out, backed out of his parking spot, and pulled onto the main street. Halfway home, he remembered that he was out of milk, eggs, and actually that pretty much his whole fridge was empty. Sighing, he made a legal u-turn and headed for the supermarket.

Pushing his squeaking cart down the fluorescent aisle, he grabbed the usual packages and leafy vegetables. The most exciting thing was that he decided to get red bell peppers instead of yellow this time. A surly teenager with a lip ring rang up his groceries.

"Have a good evening," he said in a flat tone as he handed over the receipt. Almost as if secretly hoping for the opposite to happen.

Itachi drove home and parked in his spot. He crammed all the paper bags into his arms at once, refusing to make more than one trip. He dropped his keys. Stooped to pick them up, dropped his phone. Picked that up, dropped his wallet.

Blowing out a sigh, he crouched in the parking lot for a long moment. Gathering the vestiges of his patience, he scooped everything up and made his way up to his apartment on the second floor. Everything seemed to be going reasonably well until he got to his door, dropped his keys, his phone, and then a bag split open, unleashing every single cherry tomato possible. Like a river of fleeing tomatoes.

"….Tomato betrayal," he uttered.

"Woah. Uh. Here, let me help you."

"No, that's really not necessary. I ap-" he began, looking up. But when he locked eyes with the kind stranger, his jaw went slack.

"Oh. Sergeant," she said.

"Miss Haruno," he said.

It had been a year since the ATM robbery case. She had grown out her hair. She was dressed in black this time. Her bright red sneakers almost seemed to shine against the beige carpet. She smiled.

"Last time was Chunky Monkey. This time it's tomatoes, huh?" she remarked as she squatted to help him retrieve the runaway fruit. She gathered the cherry tomatoes in her palm. He quickly grabbed the rest. They stood up together. She poured them into one of the unripped bags. And then handed over his keys.

"There you go," she said, grinning.

"Uh. Thank you," he replied, voice wooden. And for some reason, he pointed at his door.

"I live here," he announced. And then mentally threw himself off a cliff. That sounded so awkward. So stupid. Sakura blinked a couple times. She then pointed next-door.

"I live here. Just moved in a couple weeks ago," she replied.

"Oh. Well, good night," Itachi said in a voice that was too loud. He quickly unlocked his door and slipped into his home, locking the door behind him.

* * *

"You WHAT?" Hidan shouted.

"AW, SARGE! NO!" Kisame lamented. He slid out of his seat, melting into a pile of disappointment on the floor. He flailed around, throwing a mild tantrum. Kakuzu walked in, microwaved burrito in one hand.

"What'd I miss?" he asked.

"Turns out Hot Witness now lives next to Sarge. And when he ran into her last night, he said 'oh, well, good night' and shut the door on her'," reported Deidara, chin in his hand.

"Yikes," replied Kakuzu in an equally flat voice. He took a bite of his burrito and winced as the beans burned the roof of his mouth.

"It's simple. All Sarge has to do is make sure he never runs into Hot Witness again. Stake out her apartment. Find out her schedule. And then plan the rest of your life so that your paths never cross again," Kisame listed, his eyes a little crazy.

"Honestly, Itachi, that was pretty humiliating. I say just move to another country. Or get a face transplant," Kakuzu said.

"Not helping, Kakuzu," Hidan said, glaring. Kakuzu shrugged.

"I never said I was trying to," he answered before he blew on his steaming burrito.

"Y'know, I've lived in my building for ten years and I've seen my neighbors maybe three times. I doubt Itachi will see her again," Deidara pointed out. He clicked and dragged a card across his screen. Kakuzu leaned on the back of his chair. He used his burrito to point at one of the cards and gestured where to put it.

"You're probably right, Deidara," Itachi agreed.

* * *

III.

Itachi spilled a bunch of chili down the front of his shirt just before he saw her.

"Oh! Hey, neighbor," she said. And then she saw the chili on his shirt and paused.

"Oh," she said again.

"Uh, hi. Got a bit of a chili situation," he explained, needlessly. She gave a polite smile.

"Yeah. Looks like it. I feel like food is always betraying you in some way or another. Do you need help?"

"No thanks. I uh…didn't want the rest of the chili anyway…" he finished, lamely. She blinked a few times.

"Oh…is that why… you spilled it?" she asked with obvious concern.

"No," he answered too loudly.

She blinked again. Itachi stared right back.

"You should probably soak that quickly. It'll set if you don't," she pointed out.

"Uh…" Itachi responded, eloquently.

"The stain. It'll set…" she repeated. Her patience amazed him. Glancing down at his shirt again, Itachi sighed.

"A little detergent and maybe some vinegar if that doesn't work," she went on. When Itachi continued to stare, she tilted her head.

"You know what? I was on my way back up anyway. I can show you how," she offered, taking a step forward. It was only then that Itachi noticed the big cardboard box on her hip. He pointed at it.

"I can carry that," he told her. She turned to look at him. Then looked down at her box.

"I mean… I'm not bragging that I can carry heavy things. I was offering- er. I would be willing to carry it for you. Not that I think you can't. Feminism rules," he rambled. She jostled the box a little.

"You know, this is actually pretty heavy. I would appreciate the help," she said, handing it over to him. Itachi accepted it and nearly dropped it as the full weight hit him. But she had already turned to walk up the steps into the building.

Up on the fourth floor, she unlocked her door.

"Could you leave that on the table? Thanks." She pointed to the round wooden table in the kitchen. Itachi deposited it as carefully as he could. It still landed with a disturbingly loud thud. He even thought he saw the table legs vibrating under the weight.

"Lose the shirt, Sergeant. Here. I'll trade you," she said.

When something came flying toward his face, he caught it. He turned it over in his hands. It was a rather old shirt, the lettering so faded that he couldn't tell what it had once said. When he looked up, she had her back to him as she walked down the narrow hall. Popping open the buttons of his shirt, he quickly swapped it out for the t-shirt.

As he stared down at the heinous chili stain, her voice drifted in from the other room.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah. Of course," he called back.

She held her hands up as she walked past. Itachi tossed her the shirt. She held it up to the light.

"Wow. You just completely missed your mouth, didn't you," she observed. Itachi felt his cheeks warm. He followed her to the kitchen sink. She plugged it and began filling it with water. Her fingers flickered in and out of the stream as she adjusted the temperature.

"So there's protein in this. You never want to put it in hot water because that'll cook the stain in," she explained. She dabbed soap onto the stain. Then she scrubbed the fabric together until the detergent foamed. She looked up at him.

"What do you usually do for stuff like this anyway?" she asked.

"I just pour bleach on it and hope for the best. I now own a lot of white shirts that didn't necessarily start that way," he admitted, looking down at the faded t-shirt. He squinted. Was that an M or an H? She plunged the shirt into the warm water, scrubbing harder.

"So do you do this all the time? Bring people up here to teach them how to do laundry?" he asked, looking around. Her apartment had the same layout as his. There was a vase of flowers by the door, filled with roses that weren't quite pink and weren't quite peach. Kind of like the color of her hair.

"Yeah. It's how I get them so I can harvest their organs for meat pies," she answered, matching his easy tone. When he gaped at her, she looked a little worried.

"I'm kidding," she said.

"I knew that," he replied, quickly turning away. He glanced over her counters. There was a stand mixer and a rather large blender. A variety of mugs hanging from a rack- each with some sort of animal ears or a face on them. Even the apron hanging by the oven was adorable. It was covered in little yellow chicks.

"But you know, I was really surprised to see that you're my neighbor. Kind of makes me feel safe living next to a cop," she confessed. His eyes drifted back to her. Their eyes met. There was no hidden laugh there. She was serious.

"Uh well… you know, even if it's not an emergency, you can ask for my help. If you're walking home late or something… you know…" he trailed off, mumbling. She lifted the shirt to examine it. Water dripped back into the sink. She plunged it back in, scrubbing again.

"You know, I don't think I can do that…"

His heart sank.

"Given that I don't even have your number," she continued.

His heart soared.

She looked over her shoulder at him.

"That number you called me at was my personal. Drop call me?" she suggested. Itachi cleared his throat.

"Actually, when I called you, I wasn't at my desk. So… you have my number too," confessed Itachi. She smiled.

"Well, problem solved then," she declared. And then she lifted the shirt in the air.

"Two problems," she amended, turning with it stretched out in front of her.

* * *

IV.

"Hm. Sarge is whistling," Hidan noted to himself. He continued typing for a few extra seconds. And then he gasped. Ducking his head, he wheeled over to Kisame's desk. He had aimed poorly. His chair smashed into the other detective's.

"What the hell, Hidan?" Kisame snapped. But Hidan threw his arm over his shoulder and pulled him down.

"Sarge is whistling," he hissed.

Kisame stared at him. Then his eyes widened. He glanced over Hidan's shoulder. Itachi was typing away at his desk. The man was indeed pursing his lips, whistling some classical music.

"Theories. Quick. Kakuzu, keep track," Hidan said.

"This is stupid," Kakuzu sighed even as he flipped to a fresh page in his notepad.

"Go," Hidan ordered, pointing at Kisame.

"Itachi found a rare state quarter that he didn't have before. Because you know he totally collects coins," Kisame theorized, throwing down a crumpled twenty. Kakuzu nodded as he jotted it down.

"He ordered a really old, rare book and it's coming in the mail today," he then conjectured. He reached over and threw in another $20 bill.

"Ooh! Good one!" Kisame agreed. Hidan reached into his wallet to pull out a crisp $20 bill. He stretched it, making snapping noises. He handed Kisame the money, then rubbed his hands together.

"Okay. He marathoned a bunch of history documentaries he's had on his DVR forever," Hidan guessed.

"Damn, I should have guessed that," groaned Kisame, sagging in his chair.

"That is pretty good," Kakuzu said, writing.

"Yo. Deidara. What about yours?" asked Hidan.

They all turned to look at their coworker. He had his head down in his arms. Kisame grabbed a sheet of paper off his desk, wadding it into a ball. He lobbed it at Deidara, hitting him in the back of his head.

"Cough it up. And then talk, Deidara," demanded Kisame. Deidara lifted his head, scowling.

"Pay up, nerd," Kakuzu said. Deidara grumbled, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. Muttering under his breath, he found the money and slapped it onto his desk.

"Your theory?" Kakuzu badgered him, holding his pencil ready.

"Your theories are all wrong. It's obvious. The Sarge got some," Deidara replied in a flat voice. He leaned back in his chair, arms limp at his sides.

The three other detectives stared at him before they burst into raucous laughter. They thumped their fists against Kisame's desks. Even Kakuzu snickered, still jotting down the response. Clicking his tongue, Deidara spun his chair to face the sergeant who, surprisingly enough, wasn't glaring at all the noise.

"Hey Sarge!" Deidara called out.

"Deidara, shut up!" hissed Hidan.

"You're in an awfully good mood. Something good happen last night?" Deidara asked, ignoring his panicking coworkers. Itachi's fingers stopped clattering against the keyboard.

"Shit," muttered Kakuzu, lowering his head. Kisame ducked behind his peace lily, as if he could hide his huge body behind the ceramic pot.

"Not bad, detective," Itachi stated.

Kisame's head shot up.

"What?"

"No way!"

"Hand it over, you morons," crowed Deidara.

"Wait, with Hot Witness? Was it Hot Witness?" Kisame shouted.

"Get back to work, detectives," Itachi simply said as he resumed typing.

* * *

At noon, the Sarge always took his lunch break. On the rare occasion, he chipped in a couple bucks and stood eating pizza at Hidan's desk. But more often, he took a walk to his favorite coffee shop.

A warm cup of Americano was a given. And he had a few favorite paninis and wraps that he cycled through. It was a quiet little joint. There were minimal hipsters crowding up the place and so it was an ideal spot for a relaxing lunch.

The barista at the counter recognized him and fired up the espresso machine.

"Oh, hey. We're trying out a new recipe. Do you mind being the guinea pig?" the barista asked as he poured the coffee into a paper cup. Itachi's eyebrows rose.

"Can I ask what kind of recipe?"

"Uh. I think she said some kind of chocolate? Hold on," the barista hedged. He stuck his head into the kitchen and shouted something. The front of the kitchen was opened up to the rest of the coffee shop. Half the wall had been cut out and replaced with smooth wood countertops. He sometimes saw hands push out foods and such, but it had never been anything worth noting.

There was a distant bang. And then he saw hands emerge from that partition holding a plate. The bright red nails made him pause.

The barista returned with the plate.

"She says it's a chocolate chiffon pie," he reported. But Itachi wasn't listening. He craned his neck, trying to peek into the kitchen. The hands were still there, tapping against the counter.

It would be embarrassing to be wrong, but the uncertainty honestly felt worse.

"…Sakura?" he called.

A head popped into view.

"No way! Sarge?" She grinned. "You're the regular that Haku won't stop talking about?" And then her eyes went wide. She held up one finger.

"Hold on!" she said.

And then she disappeared. It only took a few seconds for the kitchen door to swing open. She looped around the espresso machine and plopped her elbows down on the counter.

"Okay. Now take a bite. Let me know what you think. I kind of messed with this recipe," she ordered. Face resting on the backs of her hands, she waited. Itachi looked from her down to the plate.

"Is this a new job?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No way. This is my store. I'm always in the kitchen, though," she replied. And then she pointed to the menu mounted above the counter. She was wearing an adorable apron, just like the one hanging in her kitchen. Although, this one had a light blue pattern with piglets.

"But maybe that means I should show my face in the front more often," she added, laughing.

Itachi leaned in closer. He took her hands. A blush rose to her cheeks.

"So you're the one who bakes those banana nut muffins?" he interrogated. Sakura nodded.

"Fresh. Every morning," she confirmed. Itachi lowered his voice.

"My life has been made so much better by those muffins. If I could, I would live inside one of them for the rest of my life."

Sakura blinked.

"Thank…you? I think…"

Haku blinked at the both of them.

"So…y'all gonna try this pie or what?"

* * *

V.

"Oh my god. Itachi," Sakura exclaimed. He looked up from his newspaper. It took him a moment to find Sakura laying on her stomach by the couch. He could count on one hand the number of times he had seen her actually sit on the couch. Instead, she seemed to always lie on the shag rug beside it. And once again, she was there.

"Itachi, come here. You have to see this," she insisted. Setting his paper down, he made his way over to her. A large book was spread open in front of her. She motioned for him to come closer. And so he sat on the rug. And he finally understood why she was always on it. It was so perfectly soft and fuzzy.

Sakura pointed to something on the page.

"So I was looking through my high school yearbook. And look!"

Itachi followed her finger. It was a picture, he read the caption, of the debate team in the gymnasium. To the left of the photo was Sakura in braces and a maroon blazer. She sat at a long table with several other teenagers dressed in the same blazer. In the background, he glimpsed a banner informing about the upcoming school dance.

"Cute?" he offered, not knowing what else to say.

"No. Look at this!"

She then pointed to someone in the background on the opposite side of the photo. There was someone carrying a trumpet case. Itachi squinted.

"Is that me?" he gasped.

She flipped to another page. There he was sitting in the courtyard with a couple of his buddies. He was in his letterman jacket, the school's maroon and yellow proudly on display. And then he found Sakura on the edge of the photo, talking with her friends.

She was in front of some lockers, smiling and laughing. And there he was walking past with his own friends.

"I had no idea we went to school together. That's so weird!" she exclaimed.

"I mean, our school was really big. And you must have been a freshman when I was a senior," he rationalized.

"Still spooky, Itachi. I love it," she hummed, legs swinging back and forth.

But the coincidences kept piling up.

Sasuke called, asking if he could crash on his couch for the weekend.

"Sure. I mean, it's a little cramped but you're always welcome to stay," Itachi replied. He turned in his chair and found Kisame and Deidara leering at him from behind the peace lily.

"I'm on the phone with my brother, detectives," Itachi said.

"Ugh. Boring," they immediately groaned.

"Yeah, you see, one of my friends moved to your city like a year ago? Haven't seen her in forever so a bunch of us are coming to throw her a surprise party," explained Sasuke. Itachi nodded as if his younger brother could hear him. He continued clicking through the details of his latest case, half-listening.

"Actually, she went to school with us. Maybe you know her? Her name's Sakura."

Itachi dropped the phone.

"Hello? Hello? What was that?"

Itachi scrambled to pick the phone up. He jammed it up against his ear.

"Wait. Say that again?"

"Yeah. Sakura? We were in concert band together? She's got pink hair, kind of pretty but also really weird," Sasuke listed.

Leaning back in his chair, Itachi stared up at the ceiling. There was an old water stain above his desk in the shape of a rabbit. He tilted his head. Or maybe a duck.

"Okay, Sasuke. Get this," he sighed.

Ten minutes later, Itachi hung up the phone as Sasuke continued to roar with laughter. It only took a few minutes for their family's group chat to blow up. He didn't bother opening it up. He didn't have the energy for that. But he did happen to see Shisui type, "Yeeeeeaaaa get it boiiiiii".

Itachi silenced his phone.

"Detectives, if I look up and I don't see you doing something work-related, you're all going to be staying late organizing case files," he warned. Chairs squeaked around and someone began shuffling papers very loudly.

* * *

VI.

Itachi hesitated in front of her door. He held up his fist, lowered it again. Raised it. Gathering his courage, he took a deep breath and-

The door swung open. Sakura nearly barreled into him with a pizza box. They stared at one another for a minute. And then she opened the lid.

"I asked for a small and they gave me a large. I will die trying to eat this. I was just about to ask if you wanted to eat together," she explained.

Itachi held up a six-pack of beer.

"Sasuke left these and they've been sitting in my fridge forever. Want to help me?" he said.

"There's pineapple. Do you like pineapple? I know it's a very polarizing topping," she asked even as they stepped into her apartment together.

"Pineapple haters will go to jail," he answered in a solemn voice. She laughed as they shut the door behind them.

* * *

VII.

Itachi stood in the grocery store. There was a manger's special sale on garlic hummus. After a shift that ran late, Itachi had arrived to find that there was only one package left in the refrigerated display.

He grabbed the last round container. The only problem was that someone else grabbed it too.

Left eye twitching, Itachi lifted his chin. It was Sakura, looking rather rumpled and exhausted herself.

"Itachi, release the hummus," she ordered in a low voice.

"….I will have you arrested, Haruno," he replied.

* * *

VIII.

"Ugh! I can't believe the Captain is making us stay late for this. We should just let Deidara screw up. Then the Commissioner will grind his body up in his protein shake for breakfast tomorrow and Kisame can take his chair," groaned Hidan.

Nodding, Kakuzu shot a glare toward the Captain's office. But the blinds were shut and his glower was wasted.

"You guys should calm down. Sarge got here earlier than all of us. He's been here for over 24 hours," cut in Kisame, pointing. Itachi stood in front of the whiteboard, staring at the evidence. His necktie was loose and the back of his shirt wasn't tucked in.

"Deidara, did you talk to the suspect's sister?" Itachi asked.

"Already did. She has an alibi," Deidara called back.

"Damnit. Now I've got no leads and I'm hungry," sighed Itachi, rubbing his hair. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.

"I really want some Thai food," he grumbled to the heavens.

At that precise moment, the elevator doors dinged open.

Sakura walked in, shivering and huffing. She said something garbled but her huge scarf muffled her voice. Itachi walked over to her, opening the gate to let her into the bullpen. While he was at it, he tugged her scarf down, revealing her red nose.

"Hi! Got your text that you were working late. Thought you might be hungry," she said, holding up a bulging plastic bag in each hand. Itachi trailed after her, jaw slack as she made her way to his desk. She set down the bags and undid the knots. And an absurd amount of food poured out.

"So I had Haku make you a bunch of Americano and put it in a thermos. It should stay warm all night. Here's some of your favorite banana nut muffins and some carrot cake. I also had some rye leftover today so I made a pastrami sandwich for you," she listed, hovering her hand over each food.

"Wow. Sakura. Baby. Thank you," Itachi said, running his hands over his hair again. Her put his arms around her, pulling her chilled body against him. But then he pointed to the second bag that she hadn't unpacked yet.

"What's that?"

Sakura unwound her red scarf, shivering again.

"Oh. You know, I had the weirdest craving for Thai food on the way here. So I picked us up some Pad See Ew and Gai Yang. And I got you that pineapple fried rice you like with mild spice," she stated.

It was silent when she finished speaking. She looked around the bullpen. At the frozen faces, puzzled.

From the back of the room, Deidara peered over his computer screen.

"Wow. Itachi, like, just marry her," he yelled.


	10. Photophobia

**title** Photophobia  
**summary** It's like a paper cut all over.  
**pairing **itasaku

* * *

Sakura licked the front of her teeth. She pressed the backs of her fingers to her lips, eyes scanning the damp streets.

"Is that enough?"

Her eyes flew to him. Gleaming under the neon lights. Her skin painted sallow and oddly pink as the bulbs buzzed above them.

She bit the tip of her nail, eyes searching the streets one last time before she dragged her hand across her mouth.

"Yeah. I got it," she replied.

The detective unfolded the tarp. He straightened it with a snap before he set it down. By the time the plastic settled over the corpse, she was gone. Just the buzz of the city left to fill her absence.

* * *

Her apartment was silent when she stepped inside. She snapped the lock behind her. Tossed her jacket and wallet on the empty chair. She kicked off her shoes, shedding her clothes in a trail all the way to the kitchen.

In the kitchen was a window. The frame was warped, so the window never fully shut. Through that gap in the chipping wood, the sounds of the city leaked in. Sirens, car horns, and the chatter of invisible people.

Sakura stood in front of that window now. Baby hairs frizzing up in the humidity and the arches of her feet aching.

A long sigh spilled from her lips. She turned to the side, yanking the refrigerator door open. The too-white light of the halogen bulb stung her eyes.

She grabbed one of the pouches on the top shelf. Her hands moved on their own. Unwrapping the straw. Fitting it into the slot. Red creeping up, spilling into her dry mouth. Teeth closing around the straw, Sakura let the pouch dangle as she grabbed the crooked window and jerked it up. It groaned, but eventually opened enough for her to crawl through.

There weren't many buildings left in the city with working fire escapes. One day, the super would probably tack a notice to the cork board downstairs warning tenants not to step on the fire escapes. But until then, this was her sanctuary.

Sakura poked at the mint plant wilting in the corner. She took another slurp of her drink as she sank down beside the ceramic pot. Arm stretching out over her knee, she stared down at the city with all its garish colors. She unbuttoned the top few buttons of her shirt before she finally gave herself a moment to breathe.

"Rough day?"

She slowly tilted her head up. Through the slats in the black metal, she spotted her upstairs neighbor. A cigarette sizzling between his thin fingers. She bared her teeth in an almost smile.

"I'm still kicking," she replied.

And he laughed, leaning forward to tap the ash off his cigarette. Long legs stretching out, casting spindly shadows over her feet.

"Want some company?" he asked.

Some days she said yes. Others, she said no.

Draining the last drops of her pouch, Sakura dragged her fingers through her hair. She glanced up at him through her eyelashes.

"Yeah," she decided.

"Excellent," he replied, stubbing his cigarette out. And with that, he disappeared back into his apartment.

Sakura closed her eyes. Just to shield them from the neon glow of the city. Just for a moment. She opened them again when she heard the metal of the fire escape rumble and clang. He climbed down the narrow steps, a bottle held in one hand.

"I had a bottle of Syrah sitting in the fridge," he told her.

"Syrah doesn't taste good when it's too cold," Sakura told him, just her eyes following him as he set the bottle down. And then a smile twisted his lips.

"Guess we'll have to give it time to warm up," he replied as he crawled over to her. One hand slipping into the front of her half-open shirt. The other sliding up her thigh, rubbing over worn denim.

"Guess so," Sakura agreed before her lips met his.

Her sigh wormed its way out between their mouths. Hand trailing up his shoulder, curling around the back of his neck to pull him close.

Sakura's fingers twisted into the back of his shirt as she dragged him through the kitchen window. A faint snicker thrown in there somewhere as he struggled to fold his long legs in through the narrow space. And then the laughter was gone as they struggled with pointless things like buttons and clasps.

Mouths and hands. Soft and wondering. Dragging across skin. Eyes wet and gleaming in the darkness. Searching. Heat. A soft kiss against her throat as he asked, 'Are you okay?'. Her fingers curling around his shoulder blade. Lips pulling into a smile against the curve of her spine.

She closed her eyes. Hands clenching. Unclenching. His heart racing like headlights down a freeway. Fingers tangling into hair to pull her up for a kiss. Bitter tobacco lingering on her lips. Eyes fluttering open for a moment. Watching the strange shadows the city cast on their bodies through the paper-thin curtain. Then drifting shut again.

Knuckles. Brushing softly against her shoulder. Her arm.

Sakura opened her eyes. He was watching her.

"What?" she asked.

"Can I?"

And she laughed, mostly teeth. "Sure. Do what you want."

The sheets rustled. She glimpsed him fumbling in the darkness, his shoulders pale blue in the night. He managed to pull on pants before he hurried out. Bare feet slapping against linoleum. Then against the fire escape.

Eyelids heavy, Sakura dragged the covers up over her shoulder. Legs half-tangling with the flat sheet.

The sound of a shutter woke her.

"You never get bored of this?" Sakura questioned.

More clicks. And then he responded: "No."

She stretched her arms, head falling against her shoulder. Listening to the snap of the shutter capturing the moments again and again. Only pausing when he adjusted the curtain to let more light into the room.

He climbed onto the bed to show her. He always did. Glimpses of her bare shoulders. Her eyes peeking out through tangled hair. The curve of her spine disappearing into the sheets. Never anything more.

"These always look the same," she remarked, chin resting on his knee.

"Not exactly," was all he said. And then he smiled. Eyes crinkling. Hand rubbing up and down her arm even as she pulled away.

He was there in the morning. Sleeping face-down. Just his back rising and falling to let her know that he wasn't a corpse. Sakura watched him for a while. Bleary. Throat dry. And then she made her way to the kitchen, tongue running over her teeth as she opened up the fridge.

She walked into the station an hour later.

"You're early," Yamato greeted her. He flashed his ID and the security desk buzzed them in. He held the door for her. The tile floors were too blue. As if hoping to drag part of the sky into the stuffy place. Fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. Copiers whining and wheezing as they spit out reports.

They walked into the bullpen. The hum of conversation. Fingers clacking across keys with the letters worn away.

"I smelled turpentine," she told him. There was half a bear claw sitting on a square napkin. Right next to his gun. Yamato lifted it up and tore into it.

"And ink," Sakura added as she settled in his chair. Yamato brushed crumbs from his mouth.

"Like pen ink?"

"No. Like the stamping kind. It was old," she mused.

Temari swiveled around in her chair. Her pen stuck behind her ear. "So like a library," she suggested.

Sakura nodded. "Maybe a cleaning person there."

"You got anything else? Blood type?" Yamato pressed.

Sakura frowned. The pressed her fingertips together. "Blood smells like blood. Don't be ridiculous," she chastised. The chair squeaked as she got to her feet. Heels of her boots hitting the worn tile.

"My check?" Sakura then asked, holding her pinky and thumb extended up to her ear. Yamato nodded. He wadded his napkin up. Crunched it in his fist. Bits of powdered sugar scattered across his desk.

"Yep. We'll call," he assured her.

Sakura pulled her sunglasses from inside her jacket. They cast a gold tint over the room as they covered her eyes. She nodded at Temari before she headed for the elevator.

Outside, the wail of an ambulance pierced her ear drum. She stuck her finger in her ear. Stuck a lozenge in her mouth. Crumpled the waxed wrapper between her fingers. Hissing a breath in between her teeth, she checked the intersection, then her watch.

She rubbed her thumb against her lower lip. It felt dry already.

Her apartment was silent when she stepped inside. The unopened Syrah sat on the kitchen counter. Stubborn window pushed almost-shut. She heard a floorboard creak somewhere above her head. Half-shrugging her jacket off her shoulders, she checked her phone.

There were a few emails she had been ignoring all morning. One made her suck her teeth as she skimmed the contents.

"Great," she grumbled.

She shrugged her jacket back on before she headed out of her apartment.

Headquarters was a hassle to get to. Two subway lines with a transfer in-between. She rolled another lozenge around her mouth as she train barreled along in the darkness. Feeling the sweetness melt over her tongue and teeth with each clatter along the tracks.

The lobby was gaudy as ever. Black marble and gold accents. Sakura nodded at the receptionist as she headed to the elevator.

Shizune was there to greet her when the doors slid open on the top floor.

"You look tired," she commented.

"This is just my face," answered Sakura. They both laughed as they headed down the hallway. Some of the doors on the way were ajar, or even open all the way. As their footsteps tapped by, people lifted their heads to look. Most nodded. A few waved.

"Do I really need to see the boss for this? Can't you just tell me?" Sakura wondered. Shizune cast her a sideways look.

"You try telling her that," Shizune retorted. They shared another snort of laughter. Then Shizune pushed open a heavy wooden door at the end of the hall.

Tsunade was half-visible behind the stacks of books that cluttered her desk. Her gaze flew up to them when the door moved. She lowered her glasses, staring right at Sakura.

"Are you eating?"

Sakura blinked very slowly.

"Yes."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you," she decided. And then she folded her hands under her chin to add, "If you're ever running low, let one of us know. There's no need to suffer."

"I'm fine," was all Sakura said again.

Tsunade's gaze flickered to Shizune, who jotted something down on her clipboard.

"Alright. I didn't call you here to nag," Tsunade said, waving her hand. Sakura's shoulders relaxed a little. She rolled her weight onto the backs of her heels. Waiting.

"We've got a binge drinker. Somewhere in the south side of the city, looks like."

The corner of Sakura's mouth lifted in an incredulous smirk. "Seriously? There's someone that stupid?"

Tsunade simply nodded.

"Let us know when you identify this person. We'll send out Shino and his people to deal with it," Shizune then added.

"But what if he's hot?" Sakura asked. She laughed as Shizune brought her clipboard down on top of her head.

* * *

Yamato squinted at her as he watched her sign on the clipboard.

"Your hands are shaking," he pointed out.

Sakura ignored him as she slashed the pen between the numbers of the date. Metal nib scratching against glossy paper. She accepted the check, tucking it into her jacket. And then slipping her hands deep into the pockets. Hands clenching and unclenching out of sight.

"Haven't had my coffee, that's all. Thanks for this," Sakura replied as she curled her fingers around the check. Wrinkling it a little inside her pocket.

"I'll call you again if I need help with another case," Yamato said, eyes narrowing. And then he glanced around before he lowered his voice. "Stop by the blood bank on your way home, kid. You don't look so good." And then he reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Counting out the wrinkled bills.

"Is money tight? I can spot you," Yamato offered.

When he looked up to hold out the cash, she was already gone.

Outside the police station, Sakura fumbled for a lozenge. Untwisting the thin paper. Fingers shaking as the sweet candy landed on her tongue.

* * *

The city smelled alive that night. Straw between her teeth. Slurping. One hand tangling into her short hair. The other gripping the counter. Listening to the wind whistling in through the crack between the two halves of the window.

Her phone lit up on the kitchen table.

A message from Shizune.

Any luck?

Sakura stared at the message for a moment. And then she typed a one-handed response.

Not yet.

She tossed her phone back onto the table. Her lips trembling with the exhilaration of the lie.

Her chin jerked up when she heard a clang. The sound of her upstairs neighbor's footsteps on the fire escape. Eyes lingering on the crooked window frame, she took a long drink from her straw

She grunted as she forced the window open, Ducking through the uneven space to make herself fit. The sticky, half-smoky city air engulfing her, spilling into her.

"Have you tried any of that Syrah?" her neighbor called down to her.

Sakura crumpled the pouch in her right hand. "Unopened wine doesn't spoil," she replied.

"That one does," he told her.

Their eyes met between the narrow slats in the black metal. The look that passed between them was neither friendly nor unfriendly. It just was.

And then, the corner of his mouth pulled up. "Need any company tonight?" he offered.

Sakura turned away. Shook her head. There was a sickly sweet smell hovering in the air.

"Not tonight," she responded.

* * *

Yamato called her in the morning. His voice ragged.

"You have any time to stop by today?" he asked.

Sakura rubbed her palm against her throat as she thought. She squinted at the window. The grey light that trickled in was gentle on her dry eyes.

"...Sure," she decided. Licking her lips. Wondering whether there was enough in the fridge. Wondering whether that overly sweet smell in the air would dissipate any time soon.

"Good. Text me when you're on your way," Yamato said before he hung up.

When she shuffled into the kitchen, she could see the unopened bottle of Syrah still sitting there. She stared at it for a long time. Back molars clenching a little too hard.

Sakura huffed. Rubbing a hand through her hair, she yanked the fridge open. Grabbed one of the cold pouches inside. Glowering as she tried to stab the straw in at the right angle. And then, grumbling under her breath, she stuck the bottle of Syrah in the door before she slammed the fridge shut.

* * *

Yamato took her down to the medical examiner's office. Which, strictly speaking, probably checked off a number of violations. Still, the examiner turned a blind eye to it all. And the department didn't really care as long as they caught the right person. That was just how the law worked in this city.

Yamato fiddled with his phone as she circled the body in the middle of the room. Pretending like he wasn't watching her every move.

The fragrance of blood filled the entire room. Sweet and familiar. A delicious bouquet of all the things that had gone into that person to keep their neurons firing and their heart pumping.

Finally, Sakura stopped walking. She tilted her head to peer at the corpse's face. Young. Beautiful. Just like the others.

"You've got a type," she muttered.

"Did you say something?" Yamato asked.

"Vinegar? Well, not really. Something like vinegar," she told him. Wrinkling his nose, Yamato took a sniff too. And likely smelled nothing of the sort.

"And metal," Sakura added after she took another breath.

"Scene was pretty bloody," Yamato tried to remark casually. Sakura's stare flickered up to him. Focusing on his tired eyes. She decided not to be offended. The poor detective was just exhausted. And tired of finding corpses every few days.

Sakura let her finger hover near the body's throat. "No puncture marks," she pointed out.

There was a pause. And then Yamato sighed "shit" as he rubbed his face with both hands. "Sorry, kid. Wasn't trying to point at..." he trailed off.

"It's fine," she answered more out of habit than anything. And then she closed her eyes. Inhaling one last time. Hesitated as something caught her attention.

"That all?" Yamato pressed.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She gave a nod. "Yeah," she lied.

That night, when she returned to her apartment, she could hear her neighbor walking around upstairs. The floorboards creaking no matter how softly he stepped. Which she seldom minded. Anything was better than silence. When she went to open the fridge, the bottle of Syrah rattled in the door. She stared at it for a long time before she just shut the door again.

* * *

A third body showed up within the week. Sakura knew that Yamato would call again. She woke up in the morning to an unbearably sweet smell. The shape of the shoulders and back lying in bed next to her barely moved. She reached over and lightly touched his head. Fingers skimming his thick, dark hair.

She knew his name. She rarely used it, though.

"Itachi."

His eyes opened in the dim room. Damp and surprisingly bright. Moving from side to side until they focused on her. He waited for her to say something. But when she didn't, a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He put his arm over her shoulder, pulling her against his side.

"Have you tried that Syrah yet?" he asked. Voice rough and crackly with sleep.

"No."

Something in his gaze shifted. "Let me know when you do," he replied.

It wasn't long after that Yamato called. Itachi had gone back to sleep. Sakura washed up and dressed, slipping out of her apartment with careful steps.

This time, it was another young corpse that lay on the slab. Sakura sniffed at it, nose wrinkling. She already knew what she would pick up on it.

"Different genders. Different ethnicity. Different jobs," grumbled Yamato, scribbling in his notepad as she looked over the corpse.

"Turpentine. And that vinegar smell again," she reported.

"Well, at least that's consistent," sighed Yamato as he jotted that down, too.

And the saccharine undertone of the odors lingering on the body swept over her. She was almost out the door before Yamato could tell her that she could go.

The city blurred past her. Garish neon and cracked asphalt. Hot steam rushing up through the grates in the sidewalk. Subway cars screeching past, blowing her hair in every direction but the right one. She sucked on her last lozenge, teeth too sharp against her tongue. Hands shaking as she tried to fix her hair.

Her head was pounding by the time she made it into her apartment. She ripped the refrigerator door open. Found the last silver pouch on the top shelf. Gulping down the contents without bothering with the straw. Just ripped the foil open with her teeth. A few of the precious droplets spattering on her shirt as she drank.

Once her head stopped spinning, she stared down at her stained shirt. Then her eyes were drawn to the light from inside the fridge. The door hanging open. The bottle still nestled in the shelf. Her fingers reached for it for just a moment. She pulled them back.

The kitchen window groaned as she forced it open. The fragrance flooding her senses now. Her tongue tasting it with every heavy breath. Fingers gripping the black metal of the fire escape as she climbed up. And he stood watching her from in front of his kitchen sink. The inside of his apartment looked like it followed the same layout as hers. The same chipped subway tiles. The same narrow stove with old-fashioned burners.

Itachi opened his window. It slid up so easily.

"You're going to get caught," she warned.

He rested his hand on the sill. Expression thoughtful. Head tilting to one side as he took her in. And then a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth.

Sakura bristled when he took her by the hand. But she still let him pull her into his apartment. Squeezing in with little fuss through that narrow space. Into his abode that smelled like turpentine, iron, and a little like vinegar.

"Get caught?" Itachi repeated. His hand circling her wrist. And then his eyes drifted shut as he brought her hand up to his face. Placing it against his cool cheek. Fingers brushing the hint of stubble growing in along his jaw.

"You used to be smarter about this. You can't keep leaving corpses everywhere. I can't keep covering for you," snapped Sakura, snatching her hand back.

"You should eat something," Itachi commented, completely ignoring her. Sakura gritted her teeth.

"I won't be like you," she hissed.

To her surprise, Itachi's expression warmed. He took her her hand again, pressing it to his throat this time. His pulse pounding beneath her palm. "Scrounging off little baggies from the blood bank. Eating blood candies like a child. You think this is the lifestyle that fits you?" he said. And while his words were mocking, his tone wasn't.

"My survival shouldn't mean that someone else has to die for me. I'm not willing to pay that price," Sakura ground out. And then Itachi smiled again, like that was just the response he had been waiting for.

"I am," he replied.

Before she could say anything else, he turned, heading further into his apartment. Sakura followed him.

The living room housed his studio. Framed photos hung on the walls. Others were clipped to lines. Some of them still smelling of the old-fashioned chemicals he used to develop them. Many of them were of her. Hair tousled, face half-hidden behind her shoulder. Sheets tangling around her like a shroud.

She already knew what she found see in the bathroom before he opened the door.

A tub filled with red. Empty bottles of wine sat in neat rows, waiting. The sweet smell hit her in full force like a punch to the gut.

She felt his hands on her shoulders. Lips against her ear as he whispered, "You're wasting away. You can't go on like this."

She swallowed. It didn't help the dryness in her throat at all.

"It's fresh. And I've only been getting young blood," he went on. Words weaving around her. Soft. Comforting.

"I can't stand seeing you like this. I'm just trying to help you," Itachi added.

Her hand shot out, closing around his throat. There was a flash of panic in his eyes as her canines glinted in the low light. But then his smile returned as he read her expression.

"Then here's how you can help," Sakura spat. And then her fangs sunk into his skin.

* * *

"So you're not a binge drinker," she said.

Staring down at the city. Her lips tingling and still tasting sweetness. The metal of the fire escape cool against the bottoms of her feet.

He crouched beside her, his eyes still a little too bright. The collar of his shirt was stretched out from when he had yanked it over his head. The wound on his throat was just beginning to scab. The skin raised and red all around the puncture marks.

It wasn't unheard of, drinking from another vampire. In fact, it was considered the highest expression of intimacy. And Itachi obviously knew this from the smug look on his face as he leaned in to nip at the tip of her nose.

"No. Just hunting for two," he replied. Flashing his teeth as he slid his arm over her shoulder. Let his hand trail down until he could curl his fingers around her waist.

Her eyes rolled toward him. Upper lip curling. "I didn't ask you to."

"You didn't," he agreed. And then he tilted his head a little. "I admit, I was being a little dramatic to get your attention. I'm not normally that stupid about the corpses."

"...stupid," she repeated. Turning the word over in her mouth. And then she let out a snort of laughter. She turned her head, laughing against her shoulder instead. Feeling the warmth of her own skin. Well aware of how rosy her cheeks would look, how red her lips must be. She hadn't felt this at ease in a long time.

And when she cast her eyes back toward the city, all the flashing lights were so beautiful. Pulses of life that showed how alive it really was. Even the fluorescent billboards in the distance were charming.

"You know this doesn't solve anything. Someone is still dying," she remarked.

She heard a flick. The smell of sulfur flared beside her. She looked over just in time to see him shaking the match out. Smoke curling from the tip of the cigarette resting between his lips. His eyes, sparkling like rubies, were watching the smoke. And then they were watching her.

"That's how it's always been. Make yourself not care," he suggested.

"What if I can't?" Sakura wondered.

He exhaled a long plume of smoke. His hand rose to stroke her hair a few times.

"Then pretend. That's what most of us do," Itachi replied.


End file.
